Knowing where deforestation is happening is critical for efforts aimed at stopping or slowing it. Major breakthroughs toward this goal have been made over the previous few years, with NGOs harnessing the power of satellites to monitor and identify canopy loss in forests around the world. Now, a new study sheds more light on forest loss, determining the primary causes of deforestation around the world. In 2014, World Resources Institute (WRI) and partners launched an online platform to help governments, companies, and NGOs fight deforestation on a global scale. By taking advantage of the latest satellite and cloud computing technologies, the platform, called Global Forest Watch monitors the world’s forests in near-real time, providing tools, datasets, and maps to track forest loss. But not all causes – or “drivers” – of forest loss are equal in terms of impact, with some much more destructive, permanent, or preventable than others.