Angola’s peatlands highly underestimated, new study suggests
The Southwestern African nation of Angola has much more peatland than previously thought, new research suggests. In a study published on August 20 in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, researchers mapped out peatlands in the Angolan Highlands Water Tower (AHWT). This vast landscape stores and regulates freshwater in central Angola and feeds freshwater systems […]
A new study reveals Angola's peatlands were significantly underestimated, according to research published on August 20 in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. The study, conducted by researchers mapping the Angolan Highlands Water Tower (AHWT), estimates that peatlands cover 2.28–2.94% of the region. This includes 8,662 km² (3,344 square miles) with high certainty and 11,167 km² (4,311 square miles) with low certainty.
Peatlands, areas where plant material partially decomposes, are crucial for storing up to a third of the world's soil carbon. In October 2025, Angola designated 53,000 km² (20,463 square miles) in the AHWT as its first Ramsar Site, recognizing its vital role in absorbing, retaining, filtering, and distributing freshwater to rivers feeding wetlands across southern Africa.
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