However, composting and recycling remain very limited. It remarkably expanded the land area under environmental protection in the 2000s, which has been crucial in combatting deforestation. The deforestation rate drastically declined in the Amazon from its latest peak in 2004, although pressures remain high in some other regions, notably the tropical savannah (Section 4). In 2014, official protected areas covered about 17% of the territory. Additional terrestrial areas are protected within indigenous lands and in private lands that comply with the Forest Code requirements.