Trees covering an area twice the size of Portugal lost in 2014, study finds

Palm oil plantations are devouring forests rapidly worldwide, with west Africa becoming the new hot spot for tree loss

Trees covering an area twice the size of Portugal were lost worldwide in 2014, according to an analysis which shows west Africa is becoming a new hotspot for tree cover loss.

Demand for palm oil, used in everything from margarine to shampoo, is blamed for four west African states featuring in a list of 10 countries where the rate of tree loss has accelerated fastest since the millennium.