About This Project

Carbon can be removed from the atmosphere and stored in peat through numerous biogeochemical processes, potentially providing a net-cooling effect. The Congo Basin's peatlands store the carbon equivalent of 20 years of fossil fuel emissions from the USA, so protecting this ecosystem is vital. We seek to explore how people, plants and birds function and interact in this ecosystem to provide insight into the state of these peatlands and inform conservation policies accordingly.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

The Congo Basin peatlands are vital carbon stores, holding the equivalent of 3 years of global fossil-fuel emissions. They were first mapped in 2017, so very little is known about their ecological, botanical and human aspects. Nonetheless, they are threatened by plantations, logging concessions and climate change, potentially impacting their carbon storage, biodiversity, and local livelihoods. There is thus a real need for further research into the peatlands of the Congo Basin in order to inform future conservation efforts there, particularly given the value of this region in mitigating climate change.

What is the significance of this project?

Birds are useful indicators of environmental health, so quantifying their diversity and composition will reveal the state of these peatlands. Despite this, there is no comprehensive study of the composition of birds in the Cuvette Centrale peatlands. This project is thus the first investigation into the composition of birds in this region.

Understanding how communities use and manage flora in the peatlands will also contribute to knowledge of community-level sustainable management - a vital aspect of forest policy and governance. A plant species inventory in the peatland forest will improve our understanding of peatland vegetation and will enable the quantification of carbon stored in the forest and peat.

What are the goals of the project?

We aim to investigate the diversity and composition of bird species within the peatland forest - the first such study in this ecosystem. This will be achieved through avian point counts, whereby birds will be identified by sound and sight over 10 minute periods and at given points along a 3km transect. We seek to understand how the local community uses plants growing in peatland forest and whether resource management practices are employed by the community. With the support of translators, focus groups and interviews will be held with members of the community. Finally, along the same 3km transect, rapid surveys of plant composition every 250m and full inventories every 1km will enable us to characterise plant species growing on the peatland and terra firma.