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[via Quartz<\/a>]<\/p>\n It started, as many things do, with a rumor. In 2013 Matt Finer, a researcher with the Amazon Conservation Association, heard from locals that someone was cutting down rainforest deep in the Peruvian Amazon, far from prying eyes. So Finer and colleagues did something that would have been unheard of 10 years before: Using high-resolution satellite imagery, they found a couple hectares of felled trees in a seemingly impenetrable sea of forest.<\/p>\n The world has struggled for decades to stem deforestation through a variety of means, including setting aside new protected areas, improving laws and enforcement at the national level, creating international programs such as REDD+, and making corporate commitments to cut out deforestation altogether.<\/p>\n Yet nothing has changed how we approach deforestation like satellite monitoring. In recent years, this has revolutionized our ability to track deforestation. Instead of relying on local government statistics, researchers and activists are now able to monitor changes in the forest from their laptops and smartphones.<\/p>\n What does this information tell us about how we\u2019re doing at beating deforestation\u2014and what we might do to make further progress toward this global goal?<\/p>\n\u00a0\u201cYou could just see this little smidge of forest loss and we said, \u2018Maybe that\u2019s it,\u2019\u201d says Finer.\u00a0Over the next few years, the team watched the destruction spread from just a few hectares to more than 2,000 (more than 4,900 acres). It eventually connected the loss to United Cacao, a company based in the Cayman Islands with ambitions to become the \u201cworld\u2019s largest and lowest cost corporate grower of cacao,\u201d according to its website. Armed with dramatic satellite images, Finer and colleagues took the story to the Peruvian government and press, hoping to make a difference. The case is now in Peruvian court to determine if the company undertook the proper steps before clearing the forest. In the meantime, according to Finer, the agriculture ministry has responded by slapping United Cacao with a \u201cparalyzation\u201d order to halt its operation. But, says Finer, weekly satellite imagery shows United Cacao is not complying. \u201cThe deforestation is happening as we speak,\u201d he says.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIn 2008, biodiversity expert Norman Myers said that deforestation in the tropics was \u201cone of the worst crises<\/a>\u00a0since we came out of our caves 10,000 years ago.\u201d Ongoing loss is driving fears of mass extinction. But the loss of forests\u2014both tropical and temperate\u2014also plays a big role in the global climate crisis: Experts estimate that 10 to 15% of current greenhouse gas emissions are due to land use change. Not only that, but forests are vital to mitigating soil erosion, stemming floods, maintaining precipitation, and even boosting\u00a0human health and happiness<\/a>.<\/div>\n