Give the Congo Basin forest a chance
Approaching the forest in the Congo, I am met with an overwhelming wall of green. Flying over it, I see the meandering rivers merging together. I see animals drinking from the rivers, frolicking with joy in the water. Walking into the forest, I hear a chorus of teeming life – birds, lowland and mountain gorillas, forest elephants, bonobos – many of which are now endangered.
I am lucky enough to have spent time with local and Indigenous communities who live here. This forest is their source of water, food, medicine, and shelter. It is their physical and spiritual home. Millions of people depend on it. If the forest disappears, it will bring devastation to their lives.
Peatlands - areas with partially decayed plant material in the soil - have existed in this forest for a long time, but earlier this year, scientists discovered that the Congo Basin contains the most extensive peatland complex in the world. This means it locks away vast amounts of carbon and is an important part of our fight against climate change.
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