The findings are the result of the first extensive survey of the peatlands in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which account for two-thirds of what is now an estimated 167,600 square kilometres of the habitat in central Africa.
The Congo Basin peatlands alone contain about 29 billion tonnes of carbon, equivalent to about three years of worldwide carbon-dioxide emissions, Bart Crezee, a PhD candidate at the University of Leeds and the study’s lead author, said in an interview Monday. This figure doesn’t include the carbon captured by the vegetation above the ground, he said.
“Only 8% of this peat carbon lies within nationally protected areas, suggesting its vulnerability to future land-use change,” the scientists say. “We know very little about how water flows in this ecosystem, where the water comes from and where it goes,” Crezee said. “It could already be that these peatlands are close to the climate threshold of drying out.”
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Rwanda invaded DR Congo, backed M23 rebels - UN expertsA United Nations Group of Experts says it has “solid evidence” that Rwandan troops conducted military operations in eastern DR Congo.
Source: africareview - 🏆 14. / 63 Read more »
Rwanda has intervened militarily in eastern Congo, say UN expertsThere is 'solid evidence' Rwandan troops have been fighting alongside the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and providing it with weapons and support, United Nations representatives say.
Source: SowetanLIVE - 🏆 13. / 63 Read more »
Source: ReutersAfrica - 🏆 31. / 53 Read more »
Source: allafrica - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »
Source: SABCNews - 🏆 37. / 51 Read more »
Source: dailymaverick - 🏆 3. / 84 Read more »