Peat swamp forests in the Congo Basin
I hold a PhD in tropical ecology from the University of Leeds (2022). As a PhD researcher, I studied peat swamp forests in the central Congo Basin. Peat swamp forests are one of the most carbon-dense ecosystems on Earth. The peatlands of the Congo Basin alone store as much carbon in their soils as the entire world economy emits from burning fossil fuels in three years. This makes preserving them vital to prevent further climate change.
As part of my PhD, I investigated how peatland vegetation varies across the Congo Basin and how this is related to flood patterns. I also modeled peatland distribution, peat depth and carbon density across the region.
I have co-led and organized three scientific field campaigns into the swamp forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Please find more information about the Congolese peatlands on the CongoPeat project website.
Academic publications
Young DM, Baird AJ, Morris PJ, Dargie GC, Mampouya Wenina YE, Mbemba M, Boom A, Cook P, Betts R, Burke E, Bocko YE, Chadburn S, Crabtree DE, Crezee B, Ewango CEN, Garcin Y, Georgiou S, Girkin NT, Gulliver P, Hawthorne D, Ifo SA, Lawson IT, Page SE, Jovani-Sancho AJ, Schefuß E, Sciumbata M, Sjögersten S & Lewis SL (2023). Simulating carbon accumulation and loss in the central Congo peatlands. Global Change Biology, 00, pp.1-16. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16966
Georgiou S, Mitchard ETA, Crezee B, Dargie GC, Young DM, Jovani-Sancho AJ, Kitambo B, Papa F, Bocko YE, Bola P, Crabtree DE, Emba OB, Ewango CEN, Girkin NT, Ifo SA, Kanyama JT, Mampouya YEW, Mbemba M, Ndjango JBN, Palmer PI, Sjögersten S & Lewis SL (2023). Mapping Water Levels across a Region of the Cuvette Centrale Peatland Complex. Remote Sensing. 15(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15123099
Crezee B, Dargie GC, Ewango CEN, Baker TR, Bola P, Emba OB, Girkin NT, Kanyama JT, Ndjango JBN & Lewis SL (2023). Identifying a seasonally inundated, nutrient-poor peat swamp forest type in the central Congo Basin. EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 24–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-9363. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-9363
Biddulph GE, Bocko YE, Bola P, Crezee B, Dargie GC, Emba O, Georgiou S, Girkin N, Hawthorne D, Jovani-Sancho J, Kanyama JT, Mampouya WE, Mbemba M, Sciumbata M & Tyrrell G (2023). Connaissances actuelles et orientations futures des recherches sur le complexe de tourbières de la Cuvette centrale du Congo. Bois & Forêts Des Tropiques. 355, pp.73–86. https://doi.org/10.19182/bft2023.355.a37152
Crezee B (2022). Spatial distribution, carbon stocks and diversity of peat swamp forests in the central Congo Basin. PhD thesis, University of Leeds, UK. https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/32358/
Garcin Y, Schefuß E, Dargie GC, Hawthorne D, Lawson IT, Sebag D, Biddulph GE, Crezee B, Bocko YE, Ifo SA, Mampouya Wenina YE, Mbemba M, Ewango CEN, Emba O, Bola P, Kanyama JT, Tyrrel G, Young DM, Gassier G, Girkin NT, Vane CH, Adatte T, Baird AJ, Boom A, Gulliver P, Morris PJ, Page SE, Sjögersten S & Lewis SL (2022). Hydroclimatic vulnerability of peat carbon in the central Congo Basin. Nature. 612, pp.277–282. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05389-3
Crezee B, Dargie GC, Ewango CEN, Mitchard ETA, Emba O, Kanyama J, Bola P, Ndjango JBN, Girkin NT, Bocko YE, Ifo SA, Hubau W, Seidensticker D, Batumike R, Imani G, Cuni-Sanchez A, Kiahtipes CA, Lebamba J, Wotzka HP, Bean H, Baker TR, Baird AJ, Boom A, Morris PJ, Page SE, Lawson IT & Lewis SL (2022). Mapping peat thickness and carbon stocks of the central Congo Basin using field data. Nature Geoscience. 15, pp.639–644. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00966-7
Villarroel D, Rodriguez-Montellano A, Araujo-Murakami A, Camargo R, Martinez-Ugarteche MT, Ledezma R, Jørgensen PM, Klitgaard BB, Miliken W, Pardo G, Vos VA, Parada GA, Crezee B, Feldpausch TR, Gutierrez-Sibauty G, Viscarra LJ, Killeen TJ, Alvarez-Severiche C, Paca RC, Mendoza C, Arroyo L, Zenteno-Ruiz FS, Chavez E, Seidel R, Villalobos J, Mostacedo B, Munhoz CBR & Proença CEB (2022). Estimación y modelamiento de la distribución espacial de la biomasa vegetal aérea para Bolivia. Ecología en Bolivia. 57(1), pp.5-18. ISSN 2075-5023.
Biddulph GE, Bocko YE, Bola P, Crezee B, Dargie GC, Emba O, Georgiou S, Girkin N, Hawthorne D, Jovani-Sancho J, Kanyama JT, Mampouya WE, Mbemba M, Sciumbata M & Tyrrell G (2022). Current knowledge on the Cuvette Centrale peatland complex and future research directions. Bois & Forêts Des Tropiques. 350, pp.3-14. https://doi.org/10.19182/bft2021.350.a36288
Biffi S, Traldi R, Crezee B, Beckmann M, Egli L, Schmidt DE, Motzer N, Okumah M, Seppelt R, Slabbert EL, Tiedeman K, Wang H & Ziv G (2021). Aligning agri-environmental subsidies and environmental needs: A comparative analysis between the US and EU. Environmental Research Letters. 16(5), p.054067. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abfa4e