Brazil ? Sixty percent of Brazil could soon be off-limits to foreigners who don’t get special permission to visit the world’s largest tropical wilderness.

Those caught in the Amazon without a permit granted by military and justice authorities could face a fine of US$60,000.

The government plans to send Congress a bill to require the permits within months, National Justice Secretary Romeu Tuma Jr. told The Associated Press on Friday.

The bill is designed to prevent foreign meddling and illegal activity. It would cover all activity in the area Brazil considers the “legal Amazon” – including nature tours, business trips or visits to any cities across 2 million square miles (5.2 million sq. kilometers).

“We want to establish the Amazon as ours,” Tuma said. “We want the world to visit the region. But we want them to tell us when they’re coming and what they’re going to do.”