As oil palm expands, African nations agree to protect forests

By Alex Whiting ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Central and West African countries have promised to protect their tropical forests from being cut down to make way for palm oil crops, in a declaration signed on Wednesday by governments representing more than 70 percent of Africa's tropical forests. Palm oil, one of the world's most widely used vegetable oils, is a fast-growing business and a major cause of tropical deforestation worldwide. The seven countries that signed the declaration in Ma