Please download the position paper below:

Peat lands Position P Fr Version11.pdf

 Our position: No industrial exploitation in peat bogs.

The integrity of the Congo Basin peat land complex, the surrounding ecosystem and the rights of local communities and indigenous peoples must be guaranteed.

Otherwise, there will be devastating consequences for the stability of the global climate, biodiversity and threats to the livelihoods of the region's forest communities, the custodians of the forest and its resources.

The relatively undisturbed state of the peat land complex now provides an opportunity to achieve adequate protection and avoid further exposure to anthropogenic pressures. However, 80 % of the peat land complex is under concession, either for logging or farming or for oil blocks (see map below).

 This creates unacceptable uncertainty about the fate of peat lands in the Congo Basin and the crucial role they play in climate stability.

Concessions and oil blocks that straddle the area are serious obstacles to the promotion of credible, long-term peat land protection and should therefore be cancelled. When cancelling them, protection plans that genuinely take into account the knowledge, expertise and rights of local communities and indigenous forest peoples must be developed.

For further information, please download the document below:

Peat lands Position P Fr Version11.pdf (3.1 Mo)