Land used for palm oil could double without damaging forests, say researchers

The area covered by palm oil plantations worldwide could double without damaging protected areas or sensitive forests, Austrian researchers said on Tuesday (July 26).

Researchers from the Austria-based International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) studied satellite maps from South-east Asia, Africa and Latin America to determine where the crop used to make vegetable oils and other consumer products could be expanded sustainably.

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