Tell the DRC and RoC to Protect the Largest Tropical Peat Swamp on Earth
- by: Amelia Meister
- recipient: RoC president Denis Sassou Nguesso and DRC president Joseph Kabila
The largest tropical peat swamp on Earth was recently discovered in the Congo basin, spanning between the Republic of Congo (RoC) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This amazing peat swamp is a carbon sink, storing over 30bn tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere in its soil.
However, the area could be threatened by agricultural plantations, which could disturb the soil and release this huge amount of carbon into the atmosphere, speeding up the processes of climate change.
This swamp must be protected immediately so that it can continue to do its great service to the Earth by storing carbon in the soil. The RoC is considering conservation measures already and adding pressure today could ensure the protection of this unique and necessary swamp for future generations.
Sign today to help encourage leaders in the DRC and RoC to take preventative action to protect the world's largest tropical peat swamp. By signing today you are sending a strong message that precious global carbon sinks must have conservation measures in place to ensure the future health of the world.
*Photo Credit: By JeremiahsCPs (Own work) [<a href="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html">GFDL</a> or <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>], <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AHeadhunter's_trail_Mulu_N._bicalcarata_3.jpg">via Wikimedia Commons</a>
To President Nguesso and President Kabila,
As someone who is gravely concerned about climate change I am very interested in the recent discovery of the world's largest tropical peatlands in the Congo basin spanning both your countries.
These peatlands store 30bn tonnes of carbon from going into the atmosphere and help to mitigate the effects of climate change. It is imperative that conservation measures be created and enforced immediately to protect these precious lands from agricultural land clearing and other development which would release this carbon into the atmosphere.
I call on you to implemend protections in your seperate countries as well as an international plan to ensure the protection of the Congo basin peatlands. These measures must include protection from clearcutting practices, agricultural development within a certain distance and any other development which would disturb the delicate and precious soils.
[Your Comment Here]
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
