The world’s tropical forests lost roughly 39 million acres of trees last year, an area roughly the size of Bangladesh, according to a report released on Wednesday by Global Forest Watch.
The report has revealed 2017 as the second-worst year for tropical tree cover loss in the satellite record, just below the losses in 2016.
Key areas of loss were found throughout Brazil, Colombia, and the Caribbean.
The data provides only a partial picture of forest health around the world, since it does not capture trees that are growing back after storms, fires or logging.
Separate studies have confirmed that tropical forests are shrinking overall, with losses outweighing the gains.