On the International Day of Forests, a new map reveals the causes of deforestation in Africa. The map shows the shrinkage of forests in Africa by 64% from 2001 to 2020.
Small-scale agricultural land is the main driver of forest loss in Africa, especially in Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The cultivation of economic crops such as coffee, palm oil, and rubber is common in the humid forests of West and Central Africa, while the cultivation of cashews is widespread in the dry forests.