World's largest tropical peatland found in Congo basin

Carbon-rich peatlands could store three years' worth of world's total fossil fuel emissions, say scientists

Scientists have discovered the world's largest tropical peatland in the remote Congo swamps, estimated to store the equivalent of three year's worth of the world's total fossil fuel emissions.

Researchers mapped the Cuvette Centrale peatlands in the central Congo basin and found they cover 145,500 sq km - an area larger than England. The swamps could lock in 30bn tonnes of carbon that was previously not known to exist, making the region one of the most carbon-rich ecosystems on Earth.