Environment / Carbon Sinks — UPSC Mains Model Answer

The world's largest tropical peatland lies in the Congo Basin, spanning the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Discovered and mapped in the 2010s, it covers approximately 145,000 square kilometres and stores an estimated 30 billion tonnes of carbon — roughly equivalent to three years of global fossil fuel emissions. This makes it a globally significant carbon reservoir with no parallel in the tropics.

Peatlands accumulate partially decomposed plant matter under waterlogged, low-oxygen conditions over thousands of years. When drained or burned — for agriculture, logging, or infrastructure — this stored carbon oxidises rapidly into CO₂ and methane, both potent greenhouse gases. The climate feedback from large-scale peatland destruction is non-linear and difficult to reverse within human timescales.

Expanding agricultural frontiers, artisanal mining, and weak land-tenure frameworks in Central Africa place the Congo peatlands under increasing pressure. Unlike Southeast Asian peatlands, which have faced severe degradation from palm oil expansion, the Congo complex remains relatively intact — but governance capacity and international financing for protection remain insufficient.

Effective protection requires integrating peatland conservation into Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement, strengthening REDD+ financing mechanisms, and supporting community-based stewardship among indigenous and local populations who are the primary custodians of these landscapes.