The world's second-largest rainforest is at a turning point
This week we're sharing the first episode of a new season of Mongabay Explores, a deep dive into the Congo Basin which begins with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which contains 60% of central Africa's forest, but which also aims to open up protected areas and forested peatlands to oil and gas development.\xa0
This is big because the Congo Basin contains the world\u2019s second-largest rainforest, a staggering 178 million hectares, containing myriad wildlife and giant trees plus numerous human communities: it is also one of the world's biggest carbon sinks.\xa0
We speak with\xa0Adams Cassinga, a DRC resident and founder of\xa0Conserv Congo, and\xa0Joe Eisen, executive director of\xa0Rainforest Foundation UK, about the environmental and conservation challenges and opportunities faced by the DRC & the Congo Basin in general.\xa0
For more Congo exploration coming on episode 2, find & follow/subscribe to Mongabay Explores via the podcast provider of your choice, or locate all episodes of the Mongabay Explores podcast on our podcast homepage\xa0here.
Until episode 2 airs, please also enjoy the first three seasons of Explores, where we dove into the huge biodiversity and conservation challenges in Sumatra, New Guinea, and more.\xa0
Episode Artwork: A female putty-nosed monkey. Image by C. Kolopp / WCS.
Sounds heard during the intro and outro:\xa0The call of a putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans). This soundscape was recorded in Ivindo National Park in Gabon by\xa0Zuzana\xa0Burivalova, Walter Mbamy, Tatiana Satchivi, and Serge Ekazama.
Please invite your friends to subscribe to\xa0Mongabay Explores wherever they get podcasts. \xa0If you enjoy our podcast content, please visit\xa0www.patreon.com/mongabay\xa0to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps!\xa0
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