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Business Daily: Is a rare carbon sink under threat in the DRC?

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Is the world's biggest carbon sink under threat?

08/06/2022 GMT

Is a rare carbon sink under threat in the DRC?

BBC World Service - Business Daily, Is a rare carbon sink under threat in the DRC?

Oil development in the Congo Basin threatens peatlands that store 30bn tonnes of carbon.

The Congo peatlands have survived for thousands of years, but scientists say this rare rainforest ecosystem is now under threat, as local authorities turn their attention to oil.

Dense tropical rainforest in central Africa's Congo Basin is humid and rainy for much of the year. Underfoot lies one of the world’s biggest carbon sinks – muddy soil built up from layers of partly decomposed plant matter. Remote and uncultivated, the peatlands have survived for thousands of years, stretching over an area the size of England. Incredibly, the area contains 30 billion tonnes of carbon trapped underground, but this rare carbon store is now under threat as local authorities turn their attention to oil. 

Presenter: Vivienne Nunis

(Image: Aerial view of the peatland forest at Lokolama/Penzele around Mbandaka, Équateur province, DRC. Credit: Daniel Beltrá/Greenpeace Africa)

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