Rumors circulated in villages around the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo regarding a scientific tower and tree-planting initiatives. One rumor claimed a scientific tower was extracting oxygen for profit in Europe, with acacia trees planted to produce more oxygen. Another version accused the tower of causing extreme heat by removing oxygen.
The DRC’s environment minister attributed these claims to ignorance. She explained that the tower, CongoFlux, measures greenhouse gas exchanges to understand the Congo Basin’s role in climate regulation, not to extract oxygen. Research suggests these rumors reflect how local communities contest conservation and assert claims about who should benefit from it.
Source: Mongabay