African tropical peatlands: function, value and vulnerability

Abstract

Peatlands are some of the most carbon-dense ecosystems on Earth, and Africa houses the world's largest tropical peatland complex covering 16.7 million hectares of the central Congo Basin. Yet, the peatlands of Africa are neglected ecosystems. In this special issue, we begin to rectify this scientific ignorance. We present 16 reports, two reviews and 14 papers presenting original research findings, building on the first-ever conference on African peatlands held on 17 and 18 February 2025 in London. These cover what we know of the presence of peatlands in Africa, identifying three broad classes (coastal peatlands, lowland interior peatlands, and higher-altitude peatlands); newly confirmed peatlands in Angola; new findings on the long-term development of the central Congo peatlands; the first study of insect biodiversity in the central Congo peatlands; work on the threats to African peatlands from both land use and climate change; and social science studies on how local communities are utilizing and managing African peatlands. We conclude with a call for African and international scientists to work in equal partnerships to better understand these valuable yet vulnerable ecosystems. A French translation of this abstract is available in the supplementary material.

This article is part of the discussion meeting issue ‘African tropical peatlands: function, value and vulnerability’.