About This Project

Climate change and human interference threaten to degrade the world’s largest tropical peatland. No detailed assessment of the human uses of the central Congo Basin swamp forest exists. I will couple a remote sensing study on deforestation with an anthropological study in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I will explore how two communities living on the edge of the peatland forest use these resources and the values and cultural significance that they attribute to this unique ecosystem.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

The first extent map of the central Congo Basin peatlands was published 2017, which identified the ecosystem as the world’s largest tropical peatland. Scientists then wondered to what degree this ecosystem is under threat. They concluded that the peatlands are sustainably used at present, but face threats in the future, however, there remains an incomplete understanding of the interplay between peat, fauna and flora and local livelihoods. This research seeks to track the footprint of the human uses of the peatland forest through a remote sensing study, which will feed into an anthropological study that will explore how peatland forest resources are linked to local livelihoods and how local villagers perceive peatland forest change over time and the significance of human impacts.

What is the significance of this project?

Following the seminal research on the central Congo Basin peatlands, it is clear that the this ecosystem remains largely unexplored by science. While millions of rural Congolese make their livelihoods along the periphery of the peatlands, the ecosystem could be exploited for oil palm, logging or oil and gas. Congolese policy makers are actively working to develop new policy instruments, which will guide how the DR Congo peatlands are managed into the future, which will manage development and conservation priorities. Social science research is needed to generate a robust evidence base for the peatlands for its future management, which integrates both human wellbeing and natural dimensions to understand the social and natural forces that shape how peatland forest resources are used.

What are the goals of the project?

The findings from the remote sensing study that I conducted during the 1st year of my PhD suggest where humans are impacting the peatlands. This has informed the selection of two case study villages that will be visited during the upcoming 6-month field campaign, which starts in March 2022. During the field campaign, I will validate the remote sensing findings and conduct an anthropological study. The study will combine interviews, focus group discussions, participatory land use mapping and treks to areas of hunting, logging or gathering in the peatland forest with locals. I will also take the first drone-captured HD images of the peatland landscape to support analysis of peatland disturbance trends and characterise land use dynamics around case study communities.