protected: 156,559 acres, with more to come
Democratic Republic of Congo | Lock Up Millions of Tons of Carbon in the World’ s Largest Tropical Peatland
The vast peatland within the Congo Basin covers an area larger than England, making it the largest tropical peatland in the world and an essential site for carbon storage and sequestration. Critically Endangered African Forest Elephants and Endangered Chimpanzees and Whitebellied Pangolins are among the many species that rely on the peatland’ s remote and water-logged swamp forests. But logging, agriculture, and charcoal production threaten these forests, the peatlands and their sequestered carbon, and the species that live here.
Rainforest Trust and partner Rainforest Foundation Norway are working to protect more than 1.15 million acres of the Congo Basin’ s swamp forest and tropical peatland by establishing multiple community forests in collaboration with local communities. Two community forests have already been approved, protecting more than 156,559 acres. These protections are only the beginning for this project. We expect to safeguard an additional 994,078 acres in the coming years, for a total of more than 1.15 million acres protected by the project’ s completion. All of this is possible thanks to your generous support.
Baby White-bellied Pangolin | SAMAREEN