Lula said he is working to organize a meeting with the leaders of Ecuador, Columbia, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia and French Guiana "so that we can discuss a continental policy to preserve our Amazon."Lula, who began his third presidential term on January 1, has vowed to take strong action on protecting the environment, mainly boosting Amazon protection after oversight bodies were decimated under his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.Under Bolsonaro, average annual deforestation rose by 59.5 percent from the previous four years, and by 75.5 percent from the previous decade, according to government figures.Experts say the destruction is mainly due to farms and land grabbers clearing the jungle for livestock and crops.In his interview Wednesday he said he wants to set up a federal police body that "acts with more force" to protect the rainforest as well as to strengthen other government institutions."