Species Spotlight
For Peat ’ s Sake
TOP : YOUTH BONOBO BY SERGEY URYADNIKOV / SHUTTERSTOCK ; RIGHT : PEAT SWAMP , CENTRAL BORNEO BY YESTERNIGHT SUPPLY / SHUTTERSTOCK
At first glance , a peat swamp may not win you over . “ Beauty is more than skin deep ” rings true for these boggy forests . But now that we understand the hidden value of what lies beneath it — and a peat swamp ’ s vital role — its function far outweighs its looks .
Muddy swamps and other peatlands make up just 3 % of Earth ’ s surface but store twice as much carbon as all the world ’ s forests combined — 90 % of it underground .
Organic matter — branches , roots , leaves , tree trunks , and sphagnum moss — accumulates in layers so wet they can ’ t decompose , retaining carbon within them . Each trapped layer presses those beneath into a thick , muddy blanket that forms acidic peat . This sealed , underground carbon vault is the key to life on Earth . However , its value is only maintained if these areas remain undisturbed .
It takes 1,000 years for a one-meter-deep layer of peat to form , but only a generation for humans to destroy it . In Southeast Asia , the total area of peatlands is estimated at 56 million acres , which is approximately 40 % of the world ’ s known tropical peatlands .
In 2017 , a massive tropical peatland was identified beneath the forests in Africa ’ s Congo Basin . Called the Cuvette Centrale , this peatland covers nearly 36 million acres in northern Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo . In 2019 , Rainforest Trust helped establish the Ekolo ya Bonobo Community Reserve , protecting 117,412 acres . A current expansion of 80,000 acres will bring the total protected area to 197,412 acres . This vital peat swamp habitat is home to one of the Congo ’ s most threatened species , the Endangered Bonobo .
Protecting these irreplaceable peatlands found in Southeast Asia , Africa ’ s Congo Basin and around the world is critical to maintaining the Earth ’ s balance . Only by safeguarding peatlands can we enable the delicate dance between climate , habitat and species to continue for generations to come .
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