Le rayon de déforestation autour de la ville de Lubumbashi (Haut-Katanga, R.D. Congo): synthèse

The Deforestation Radius Around Lubumbashi City (Upper Katanga, DR Congo): Synthesis. The Miombo woodland is a type of vegetation widely distributed in Zambezian Africa where it provides timber and non-timber forest products to millions of inhabitants. In Lubumbashi, the causes of its degradation, supported by rapid population growth, are mainly: (i) agricultural development, (ii) charcoal production, (iii) urban expansion, and (iv) mining activities. We present a meta-analysis of the studies that have defined the deforestation radius around Lubumbashi. This radius, used both to express the area (circular area), intensity and the magnitude (distance to the city) of deforestation, was determined through in situ charcoal production and remote sensing. Although the city's ecological footprint is illustrated, estimates of the resulting deforested area do not appear to be consistent because of the variability of methodological protocols within and between approaches. While studies focusing on charcoal production suggest complete Miombo woodland suppression around the city, those based on remote sensing mention the persistence of Miombo patches relatively close to the city and sometimes confuse the different levels of Miombo degradation. These observations prevent the development of an appropriate policy for the conservation and sustainable use of the concerned ecosystem.