Mapping and Quantification of Miombo Deforestation in the Lubumbashi Charcoal Production Basin (DR Congo): Spatial Extent and Changes between 1990 and 2022
Population growth in the city of Lubumbashi in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) is leading to increased energy needs, endangering the balance of the miombo woodland in the rural area referred to as the Lubumbashi charcoal production basin (LCPB). In this study, we quantif...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Land |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/10/1852 |
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| author | Héritier Khoji Muteya Dieu-donné N’Tambwe Nghonda Franco Mwamba Kalenda Harold Strammer François Munyemba Kankumbi François Malaisse Jean-François Bastin Yannick Useni Sikuzani Jan Bogaert |
| author_facet | Héritier Khoji Muteya Dieu-donné N’Tambwe Nghonda Franco Mwamba Kalenda Harold Strammer François Munyemba Kankumbi François Malaisse Jean-François Bastin Yannick Useni Sikuzani Jan Bogaert |
| author_sort | Héritier Khoji Muteya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Population growth in the city of Lubumbashi in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) is leading to increased energy needs, endangering the balance of the miombo woodland in the rural area referred to as the Lubumbashi charcoal production basin (LCPB). In this study, we quantified the deforestation of the miombo woodland in the LCPB via remote sensing and landscape ecology analysis tools. Thus, the analysis of Landsat images from 1990, 1998, 2008, 2015 and 2022 was supported by the random forest classifier. The results showed that the LCPB lost more than half of its miombo woodland cover between 1990 (77.90%) and 2022 (39.92%) and was converted mainly to wooded savannah (21.68%), grassland (37.26%), agriculture (2.03%) and built-up and bare soil (0.19). Consecutively, grassland became the new dominant land cover in 2022 (40%). Therefore, the deforestation rate (−1.51%) is almost six-times higher than the national average (−0.26%). However, persistent miombo woodland is characterised by a reduction, over time, in its largest patch area and the complexity of its shape. Consequently, because of anthropogenic activities, the dynamics of the landscape pattern are mainly characterised by the attrition of the miombo woodland and the creation of wooded savannah, grassland, agriculture and built-up and bare soil. Thus, it is urgent to develop a forest management plan and find alternatives to energy sources and the sedentarisation of agriculture by supporting local producers to reverse these dynamics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:07:32Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:07:32Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj.art-169d636972584712b0ae324b1b3157f52023-11-19T17:03:29ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2023-09-011210185210.3390/land12101852Mapping and Quantification of Miombo Deforestation in the Lubumbashi Charcoal Production Basin (DR Congo): Spatial Extent and Changes between 1990 and 2022Héritier Khoji Muteya0Dieu-donné N’Tambwe Nghonda1Franco Mwamba Kalenda2Harold Strammer3François Munyemba Kankumbi4François Malaisse5Jean-François Bastin6Yannick Useni Sikuzani7Jan Bogaert8Unité Ecologie, Restauration Ecologique et Paysage, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université de Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi BP 1825, Democratic Republic of the CongoUnité Ecologie, Restauration Ecologique et Paysage, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université de Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi BP 1825, Democratic Republic of the CongoUnité Évaluation de L’aptitude des Terres et Agrométéorologie, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université de Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi BP 1825, Democratic Republic of the CongoUnité Biodiversité et Paysage, Université de Liège—Gembloux Agro-BioTech, 5030 Gembloux, BelgiumUnité Ecologie, Restauration Ecologique et Paysage, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université de Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi BP 1825, Democratic Republic of the CongoUnité Biodiversité et Paysage, Université de Liège—Gembloux Agro-BioTech, 5030 Gembloux, BelgiumUnité Biodiversité et Paysage, Université de Liège—Gembloux Agro-BioTech, 5030 Gembloux, BelgiumUnité Ecologie, Restauration Ecologique et Paysage, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université de Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi BP 1825, Democratic Republic of the CongoUnité Biodiversité et Paysage, Université de Liège—Gembloux Agro-BioTech, 5030 Gembloux, BelgiumPopulation growth in the city of Lubumbashi in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) is leading to increased energy needs, endangering the balance of the miombo woodland in the rural area referred to as the Lubumbashi charcoal production basin (LCPB). In this study, we quantified the deforestation of the miombo woodland in the LCPB via remote sensing and landscape ecology analysis tools. Thus, the analysis of Landsat images from 1990, 1998, 2008, 2015 and 2022 was supported by the random forest classifier. The results showed that the LCPB lost more than half of its miombo woodland cover between 1990 (77.90%) and 2022 (39.92%) and was converted mainly to wooded savannah (21.68%), grassland (37.26%), agriculture (2.03%) and built-up and bare soil (0.19). Consecutively, grassland became the new dominant land cover in 2022 (40%). Therefore, the deforestation rate (−1.51%) is almost six-times higher than the national average (−0.26%). However, persistent miombo woodland is characterised by a reduction, over time, in its largest patch area and the complexity of its shape. Consequently, because of anthropogenic activities, the dynamics of the landscape pattern are mainly characterised by the attrition of the miombo woodland and the creation of wooded savannah, grassland, agriculture and built-up and bare soil. Thus, it is urgent to develop a forest management plan and find alternatives to energy sources and the sedentarisation of agriculture by supporting local producers to reverse these dynamics.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/10/1852anthropogenic pressurecharcoalmiombo woodlandlandscape ecologyGIS/remote sensing |
| spellingShingle | Héritier Khoji Muteya Dieu-donné N’Tambwe Nghonda Franco Mwamba Kalenda Harold Strammer François Munyemba Kankumbi François Malaisse Jean-François Bastin Yannick Useni Sikuzani Jan Bogaert Mapping and Quantification of Miombo Deforestation in the Lubumbashi Charcoal Production Basin (DR Congo): Spatial Extent and Changes between 1990 and 2022 Land anthropogenic pressure charcoal miombo woodland landscape ecology GIS/remote sensing |
| title | Mapping and Quantification of Miombo Deforestation in the Lubumbashi Charcoal Production Basin (DR Congo): Spatial Extent and Changes between 1990 and 2022 |
| title_full | Mapping and Quantification of Miombo Deforestation in the Lubumbashi Charcoal Production Basin (DR Congo): Spatial Extent and Changes between 1990 and 2022 |
| title_fullStr | Mapping and Quantification of Miombo Deforestation in the Lubumbashi Charcoal Production Basin (DR Congo): Spatial Extent and Changes between 1990 and 2022 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mapping and Quantification of Miombo Deforestation in the Lubumbashi Charcoal Production Basin (DR Congo): Spatial Extent and Changes between 1990 and 2022 |
| title_short | Mapping and Quantification of Miombo Deforestation in the Lubumbashi Charcoal Production Basin (DR Congo): Spatial Extent and Changes between 1990 and 2022 |
| title_sort | mapping and quantification of miombo deforestation in the lubumbashi charcoal production basin dr congo spatial extent and changes between 1990 and 2022 |
| topic | anthropogenic pressure charcoal miombo woodland landscape ecology GIS/remote sensing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/10/1852 |
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