Brasilia - Marina Silva resigned Tuesday as Brazilian environment minister, a position she had held since President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was inaugurated for his first term in early 2003.

According to her advisors, the minister tendered her resignation to Lula and was not to make further comments on the matter until the Presidency makes her decision official.

The outgoing minister was considered a pillar of Brazilian environmental policy and of the fight against the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. News of her resignation caused a stir in Brazilian political circles.

"Minister Marina Silva is a historic member of (Lula's leftist Workers' Party), of the cause for the environment and of Amazonia. She gave the ministry the mark of her convictions and made a very important contribution to the government," said Arlindo Chinaglia, the speaker of the lower house of the Brazilian Congress.

Although there were no official reports about the reason behind Silva's resignation, the media suggested that it was triggered by her clashes with colleagues over economic projects that collided with the preservation of the rainforest. (dpa)