An historic agreement has been signed to protect the largest tropical peatland in the world, which is a globally important carbon store.

The Brazzaville Declaration, signed by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Republic of Congo and Indonesia, protects the Cuvette Centrale region in the Congo Basin and promotes better management and conservation of the area.

According to UN Environment, the equivalent of three years of global greenhouse gas emissions are stored in the Congo peatlands – which are about the size of England.

They could be released if the peatlands are degraded or the natural wetlands drained.

Arlette Soudan-Nonault, Minister of Environment and Tourism of the Republic of the Congo said: “Destroying the peatlands would be a grave assault on the Paris Agreement and the climate. We need to find sustainable alternatives and traditional management practices are important.”