Rising fire activity across Africa’s tropical forests is raising concerns that the Congo Basin could face a fate similar to the Amazon and Indonesia, where fires and deforestation have driven up carbon emissions.
Newly compiled data from Greenpeace’s Global Mapping Hub suggests that significantly more areas of Africa’s tropical forests experienced rising fire activity than declining activity between 2001 and 2025.
The findings are based on modelling of satellite-detected fire hotspots, which tracks changes in fire activity across tropical forest regions.
The warning comes amid concerns over a potentially record-breaking El Niño, which could heighten the risk of extreme weather events into 2027. Meanwhile, cuts to foreign aid by the United States and other countries have raised concerns about funding for scientific research, climate monitoring and firefighting programmes.
Dr Jean Bakouma, country manager for the World Resources Institute (WRI) in the Republic of Congo, said forest loss remained persistent in parts of the Congo Basin, with fire becoming an increasingly important factor.
“When primary forests and peatlands in the region burn, the carbon they store can be released, and put the region at risk of turning from a carbon sink into a carbon source,” Bakouma said.
He warned that increased fire activity could also damage forest ecosystems and reduce the natural resources on which communities across the Congo Basin depend.
The findings highlight growing concerns over the future of one of the world’s most important tropical forest regions. If fire activity continues to intensify, the resulting damage could undermine the forests’ role in absorbing carbon dioxide and increase pressure on communities that rely on them.