Palaeoenvironmental data from Congo Basin peatland sites, Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo, 2018-2024

This dataset contains palaeoenvironmental data collected from peatland sites in the central Congo Basin, Africa, between 2018 and 2024. The data are from four peatland sites located in the Republic of Congo (Ekolongouma, Bobueta, Otsendo and Ntokou) and three in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Bondamba, Boboka and Bolengo). Nineteen peat cores were extracted from seven sites for palaeoecological analysis. The cores vary in length depending on peat depth. Three sites (Ekolongouma, Boboka and Bondamba) were subjected to detailed analysis on a central core and less detailed analysis on three additional cores. Bolengo also has detailed analysis on a single, central core. The remaining sites, Otsendo, Bobueta and Ntokou, have sparser but complementary data. The aim of the palaeoenvironmental work was to build a picture of the genesis and development of the peatland sites through time, exploring vegetation change, peat accumulation and the climatic history of the sites. The study formed part of a multidisciplinary investigation into the functioning of the Congo Basin peatlands (the 'CongoPeat' project).