Current knowledge on the Cuvette Centrale peatland complex and future research directions

George Elliot Biddulph; Yannick Enock Bocko; Pierre Bola; Bart Crezee; Greta C. Dargie; Ovide Emba; Selena Georgiou; Nicholas Girkin; Donna Hawthorne; Jonay Jovani-Sancho; Joseph Kanyama T.; Wenina Emmanuel Mampouya; Mackline Mbemba; Matteo Sciumbata; Genevieve Tyrell

doi:10.19182/bft2021.350.a36288

Current knowledge on the Cuvette Centrale peatland complex and future research directions

George Elliot Biddulph, Yannick Enock Bocko, Pierre Bola, Bart Crezee, Greta C. Dargie^*, Ovide Emba, Selena Georgiou, Nicholas Girkin, Donna Hawthorne, Jonay Jovani-Sancho, Joseph Kanyama T., Wenina Emmanuel Mampouya, Mackline Mbemba, Matteo Sciumbata, Genevieve Tyrell

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The Cuvette Centrale is the largest tropical peatland complex in the world, covering approximately 145,000 km² across the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It stores ca. 30.6 Pg C, the equivalent of three years of global carbon dioxide emissions and is now the first trans-national Ramsar site. Despite its size and importance as a global carbon store, relatively little is known about key aspects of its ecology and history, including its formation, the scale of greenhouse gas flows, its biodiversity and its history of human activity. Here, we synthesise available knowledge on the Cuvette Centrale, identifying key areas for further research. Finally, we review the potential of mathematical models to assess future trajectories for the peatlands in terms of the potential impacts of resource extraction or climate change.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	3-14
Number of pages	12
Journal	Bois et Forêts des Tropiques
Volume	350
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.19182/bft2021.350.a36288
Publication status	Published - 4 Jan 2022

Keywords

Anthropocene
Democratic Republic of Congo
Tropical peatland
Carbon storage
Greenhouse gas emissions
Palaeoecology
Biodiversity

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.19182/bft2021.350.a36288Licence: CC BY

Biddulph_2022_BFT_Cuvette-Central-peatland_CC
Copyright 2022 the authors. This is an Open Access article, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.fr
Final published version, 921 KBLicence: CC BY

CongoPeat: CongoPeat: Past, present and future of the peatlands of the central Congo basin
Lawson, I. T. (PI)
1/09/18 → 31/08/23
Project: Standard

Cite this

Biddulph, G. E., Bocko, Y. E., Bola, P., Crezee, B., Dargie, G. C., Emba, O., Georgiou, S., Girkin, N., Hawthorne, D., Jovani-Sancho, J., Kanyama T., J., Mampouya, W. E., Mbemba, M., Sciumbata, M., & Tyrell, G. (2022). Current knowledge on the Cuvette Centrale peatland complex and future research directions. Bois et Forêts des Tropiques, 350, 3-14. https://doi.org/10.19182/bft2021.350.a36288

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title = "Current knowledge on the Cuvette Centrale peatland complex and future research directions",

abstract = "The Cuvette Centrale is the largest tropical peatland complex in the world, covering approximately 145,000 km2 across the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It stores ca. 30.6 Pg C, the equivalent of three years of global carbon dioxide emissions and is now the first trans-national Ramsar site. Despite its size and importance as a global carbon store, relatively little is known about key aspects of its ecology and history, including its formation, the scale of greenhouse gas flows, its biodiversity and its history of human activity. Here, we synthesise available knowledge on the Cuvette Centrale, identifying key areas for further research. Finally, we review the potential of mathematical models to assess future trajectories for the peatlands in terms of the potential impacts of resource extraction or climate change.",

keywords = "Anthropocene, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tropical peatland, Carbon storage, Greenhouse gas emissions, Palaeoecology, Biodiversity",

author = "Biddulph, {George Elliot} and Bocko, {Yannick Enock} and Pierre Bola and Bart Crezee and Dargie, {Greta C.} and Ovide Emba and Selena Georgiou and Nicholas Girkin and Donna Hawthorne and Jonay Jovani-Sancho and {Kanyama T.}, Joseph and Mampouya, {Wenina Emmanuel} and Mackline Mbemba and Matteo Sciumbata and Genevieve Tyrell",

note = "CongoPeat Early Careers Researchers Group is a group of early career researchers who work directly or in partnership with the NERC funded CongoPeat project (NERC reference no.: NE/R016860/1; https://congopeat.net), which has provided the authors with full or partial financial and academic support.",

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Biddulph, GE, Bocko, YE, Bola, P, Crezee, B, Dargie, GC, Emba, O, Georgiou, S, Girkin, N, Hawthorne, D, Jovani-Sancho, J, Kanyama T., J, Mampouya, WE, Mbemba, M, Sciumbata, M & Tyrell, G 2022, 'Current knowledge on the Cuvette Centrale peatland complex and future research directions', Bois et Forêts des Tropiques, vol. 350, pp. 3-14. https://doi.org/10.19182/bft2021.350.a36288

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AU - Biddulph, George Elliot

AU - Bocko, Yannick Enock

AU - Bola, Pierre

AU - Crezee, Bart

AU - Dargie, Greta C.

AU - Emba, Ovide

AU - Georgiou, Selena

AU - Girkin, Nicholas

AU - Hawthorne, Donna

AU - Jovani-Sancho, Jonay

AU - Kanyama T., Joseph

AU - Mampouya, Wenina Emmanuel

AU - Mbemba, Mackline

AU - Sciumbata, Matteo

AU - Tyrell, Genevieve

N1 - CongoPeat Early Careers Researchers Group is a group of early career researchers who work directly or in partnership with the NERC funded CongoPeat project (NERC reference no.: NE/R016860/1; https://congopeat.net), which has provided the authors with full or partial financial and academic support.

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Y1 - 2022/1/4

N2 - The Cuvette Centrale is the largest tropical peatland complex in the world, covering approximately 145,000 km2 across the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It stores ca. 30.6 Pg C, the equivalent of three years of global carbon dioxide emissions and is now the first trans-national Ramsar site. Despite its size and importance as a global carbon store, relatively little is known about key aspects of its ecology and history, including its formation, the scale of greenhouse gas flows, its biodiversity and its history of human activity. Here, we synthesise available knowledge on the Cuvette Centrale, identifying key areas for further research. Finally, we review the potential of mathematical models to assess future trajectories for the peatlands in terms of the potential impacts of resource extraction or climate change.

AB - The Cuvette Centrale is the largest tropical peatland complex in the world, covering approximately 145,000 km2 across the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It stores ca. 30.6 Pg C, the equivalent of three years of global carbon dioxide emissions and is now the first trans-national Ramsar site. Despite its size and importance as a global carbon store, relatively little is known about key aspects of its ecology and history, including its formation, the scale of greenhouse gas flows, its biodiversity and its history of human activity. Here, we synthesise available knowledge on the Cuvette Centrale, identifying key areas for further research. Finally, we review the potential of mathematical models to assess future trajectories for the peatlands in terms of the potential impacts of resource extraction or climate change.

KW - Anthropocene

KW - Democratic Republic of Congo

KW - Tropical peatland

KW - Carbon storage

KW - Greenhouse gas emissions

KW - Palaeoecology

KW - Biodiversity

U2 - 10.19182/bft2021.350.a36288

DO - 10.19182/bft2021.350.a36288

M3 - Article

SN - 1777-5760

VL - 350

SP - 3

EP - 14

JO - Bois et Forêts des Tropiques

JF - Bois et Forêts des Tropiques

ER -

Current knowledge on the Cuvette Centrale peatland complex and future research directions

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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Projects

CongoPeat: CongoPeat: Past, present and future of the peatlands of the central Congo basin

Cite this