Research published in Nature in 2017<\/a> estimated that the peatlands covered around 145,500 sq km, making it the largest tropical peatland complex in the world. More recent mapping in 2023<\/a> found that the peatland area was even larger at around 167,600 sq km, although the exact scale of the peatlands continues to be investigated.<\/p>\n For comparison, New York state has a total area of 141,297 sq km. <\/p>\n Why is peat important?<\/p>\n This extraordinary wetland has global importance, with scientists estimating that the Cuvette Centrale\u2019s peatlands contain around 30 billion tonnes of carbon<\/a>, making it one of the most carbon-rich ecosystems on Earth and a huge carbon sink.<\/p>\n One of the researchers, Simon Lewis from the University of Leeds, UK, said \u201cThese peatlands hold nearly 30 per cent of the world\u2019s tropical peatland carbon<\/a>, that\u2019s about 20 years of the fossil fuel emissions of the United States of America.\u201d<\/p>\n The research also indicated that the Congo Basin peatlands store the equivalent of three years of the world\u2019s total fossil fuel emissions.<\/p>\n Peat forms when dead plants and other organic material accumulate in waterlogged conditions faster than they can decompose. Over thousands of years, this creates layers of carbon-rich soil beneath the vegetation.<\/p>\n Initial research suggested that large-scale accumulation began around 10,600 years ago, following the beginning of the Holocene<\/a>, although more recent research indicates that peat formation at some locations may have begun considerably earlier.<\/p>\n The waterlogged conditions are crucial to containing the carbon emissions \u2013 if the peat remains saturated, decomposition is slowed and the carbon remains locked underground. However, if the peatlands are drained or significantly disturbed, stored carbon can become vulnerable to decomposition and release, causing a release of carbon which could accelerate global climate change.<\/p>\n The landscape of the Cuvette Centrale<\/p>\n The Cuvette Centrale is not one enormous, uniform swamp, but a complex mosaic of habitats, including swamp forest, rivers, lakes, pools, seasonally flooded areas and relatively dry forest on higher ground. The Congo Basin itself is the world\u2018s second-largest river basin, covering approximately 3.7 million sq km.<\/p>\n Within it, the Cuvette Centrale forms a particularly low-lying area where water remains an important influence on the landscape throughout the year. The peatlands are largely rain-fed in their western areas, where they can form shallow peat domes.<\/p>\n Wildlife in the Congo Basin The Cuvette Centrale sits within one of Africa\u2019s most biologically important regions. The wider Congo Basin contains exceptionally diverse tropical forests and is home to forest elephants<\/a>, gorillas,<\/a> chimpanzees<\/a>, bonobos and numerous species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects.<\/p>\n Wetland habitats add another important dimension. Rivers, flooded forests and peatland pools provide habitat for fish and other aquatic species, while the surrounding forests support terrestrial wildlife. Rural local communities have lived throughout the region for generations, farming, growing and working on the waterways. <\/p>\n Wetlands ecosystems<\/p>\n Research involving communities in the central Congo peatlands found that households depend heavily on the peat swamp forest for fishing, alongside activities including collecting wild foods, timber, vines and medicinal plants and hunting.<\/p>\n The wetlands also provide materials used for houses, tools, baskets, fishing equipment and other everyday needs. Livelihoods can change with the seasons because flooding affects where people can travel and fish.<\/p>\n Conservation and threats to the Cuvette Centrale<\/p>\n The scale of the Cuvette Centrale\u2019s peatlands means that protecting them has significance well beyond Central Africa. Drainage, deforestation and other forms of land-use change could expose peat to oxygen and accelerate decomposition. Researchers have identified potential pressures, including logging, agricultural development, oil and gas exploration and infrastructure development, while climate change may also alter rainfall and the water balance that keeps the peat saturated.<\/p>\n Conservation efforts include protected areas and internationally recognised wetlands. The UN\u2019s Becoming #GenerationRestoration: Ecosystem Restoration for People, Nature and Climate<\/a> report outlines the global importance of conserving these critical areas. In 2017, the Republic of the Congo and DRC agreed to collaborate on a 129,000 sq km transboundary Ramsar site complex, incorporating wetlands around Lake T\u00e9l\u00e9, the Congo River\u2019s major tributaries and Lake Tumba. In 2018, both countries and Indonesia also signed the Brazzaville Declaration<\/a> agreement to conserve the world\u2019s major tropical peatlands and prevent their drainage and degradation.<\/p>\n More wildlife stories:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the heart of the Congo Basin lies the Cuvette Centrale, a vast wetland landscape of swamp forests,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":354264,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9,11,10,49,51,50],"class_list":["post-354263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-new-york-state","tag-new-york-state-headlines","tag-new-york-state-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=354263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354263\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/354264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=354263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=354263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=354263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Aerial](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-614277876.jpg\")
Aerial view of Odzala-Kokoua National Park, in the Cuvette-Ouest region. (Photo by: Education Images\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2183869710.jpg\")
African forest elephants in the Lekoli River in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park. (Photo by Roger de la Harpe\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"swap\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-614277336.jpg\")
Lango Ba\u00ef, a natural forest clearing, in Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Cuvette-Ouest region. (Photo by: Education Images\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/p>\n