The Democratic Republic of Congo wants more money for climate projects. Otherwise, oil drilling could replace fishermen in the world’s largest peat bog. And that could spell devastation for the environment.

In the tiny village of Mpeka, hidden deep in the rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), fisherman Jean Paul Ikolongo sits on a plastic chair in his hut, looking pensive.

Politicians from the faraway capital, Kinshasa, recently paid him a visit, encouraging him to abandon Mpeka so that companies could explore the area for oil.

But foreign researchers from further afield also stopped by Ikolongo’s village urging him to stay in Mpeka and look after the trees. He does not know who to believe, or who to trust.

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