Congo Basin forest loss dominated by increasing smallholder clearing

Tyukavina, Alexandra; Hansen, Matthew C.; Potapov, Peter; Parker, Diana; Okpa, Chima; Stehman, Stephen V.; Kommareddy, Indrani; Turubanova, Svetlana

doi:10.1126/sciadv.aat2993

Cited by 218 publications

(208 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…The directly-observed impacts of commercial land uses, interpreted from satellite remote sensing, are dwarfed by the reliance of the population on shifting cultivation and associated gathering of NTFP for food, building materials and energy needs, both within the rural complex mosaic and outside of it in more pristine primary forest. These results echo what was recently found by [44].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…It is necessary to quantify the spatial and temporal characteristics of the successional vegetation types that replace a patch of cleared forest [43] and to identify what other proximate and underlying drivers influence land cover and land use change (LCLUC) [35]. Ultimately, the expansion of the rural complex is particularly important to model and understand because of the massive population growth predicted, reliance of this population on shifting cultivation, and estimates of dwindling if not vanishing forest resources in the country by the end of the century [44].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contextualizing Landscape-Scale Forest Cover Loss in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between 2000 and 2015

Molinario

Hansen

Potapov

et al. 2020

Land

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Shifting cultivation has been shown to be the primary cause of land use change in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Traditionally, forested and fallow land are rotated in a slash and burn cycle that has created an agricultural mosaic, including secondary forest, known as the rural complex. This study investigates the land use context of new forest clearing (during 2000–2015) in primary forest areas outside of the established rural complex. These new forest clearings occur as either rural complex expansion (RCE) or isolated forest perforations (IFP), with consequent implications on the forest ecosystem and biodiversity habitat. During 2000–2015, subsistence agriculture was the dominant driver of forest clearing for both extension of settled areas and pioneer clearings removed from settled areas. Less than 1% of clearing was directly attributable to land uses such as mining, plantations, and logging, showing that the impact of commercial operations in the DRC is currently dwarfed by a reliance on small-holder shifting cultivation. However, analyzing the landscape context showed that large-scale agroindustry and resource extraction activities lead to increased forest loss and degradation beyond their previously-understood footprints. The worker populations drawn to these areas create communities that rely on shifting cultivation and non-timber forest products (NTFP) for food, energy, and building materials. An estimated 12% of forest loss within the RCE and 9% of the area of IFP was found to be within 5 km of mines, logging, or plantations. Given increasing demographic and commercial pressures on DRC’s forests, it will be crucial to factor in this landscape-level land use change dynamic in land use planning and sustainability-focused governance.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contextualizing Landscape-Scale Forest Cover Loss in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between 2000 and 2015

Molinario

Hansen

Potapov

et al. 2020

Land

Self Cite

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“…The exploitation of tropical forests drastically threatens the survival of local populations who rely on these environments. In the Congo Basin, 16.6 million hectares of forest were lost between 2000 and 2014 (Tyukavina et al 2018), and the continuous pressures on local resources resulted in a dramatic decrease of big mammals, deforestation, and contamination of soils (de Wasseige et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Bush Mangoes to Bouillon Cubes: Wild Plants and Diet among the Baka, Forager-Horticulturalists from Southeast Cameroon

et al. 2020

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Increasing deforestation affects tropical forests, threatening the livelihoods of local populations who subsist on forest resources. The disappearance of wild plants and animals and the increasing influence of market economies affect local health, well-being, and diet. The impact of these changes on wild meat consumption has been well documented, but little attention has been given to wild edible plants, despite their importance as sources of calories and micronutrients. Furthermore, the relationships among food behavior strategies adopted by local populations, their psycho-cultural representations of food, and their food preferences have been poorly explored. In this study, we investigate food behaviors with an emphasis on the role of wild edible plants among a forager-horticulturalist society from the Congo Basin: the Baka. By combining an ethnobotanical survey with data from interviews (n = 536) related to food behaviors and representations of food, our data show that the Baka valorize both agricultural and marketable foods, and that wild plants represent a minor part of their diet, both in frequency and diversity. Finally, by examining how some wild edible plants have shifted from being eaten to being sold, we explore how market-oriented uses of wild edible plants may affect dietary behaviors and biocultural resilience.

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“…Agriculture is the main driver of deforestation. 4,5 Net deforestation in the tropics dominates, 6 with various regional drivers: 7 ranching and soybean expansion in Latin America, [8][9][10] subsistence agriculture in Africa 11, 12 and small-holder farming linked to industrial plantations in Asia 8,13 .…”

Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Global Forest Transition is a Human Affair

García¹,

Savilaakso²,

Verburg³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Forests across the world stand at the crossroad with climate and land use changes shaping their future. Despite the demonstration of political will and global efforts, forest loss, fragmentation and land degradation continue unabated. No clear evidence exists that these initiatives are working. Why are policies designed to halt deforestation and increase restoration of forest landscapes failing? A key reason for this apparent ineffectiveness lies in the failure to recognize the agency of the stakeholders involved and the adaptive capacities of the systems we seek to steer. Landscapes do not happen. We make them. They are the result of the sum of individual actions and decisions made by all stakeholders, and the interactions between these and biophysical processes. Likewise, forest transitions are not ecological, but social and behavioral. They are a product of the way humans manage ecosystems. Decision-makers need to integrate better representations of people’s agency in their mental models. We suggest possible solution pathways to overcome this key current barrier. These involve eliciting mental models behind policy decision, changing perspectives to better understand divergent points of view and refining strategies through explicit theories of change. Games designed to represent the constraints and opportunities that exist in the landscapes can help decision makers in these task.

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Congo Basin forest loss dominated by increasing smallholder clearing

Abstract: Congo Basin forest loss is dominated by smallholder agriculture with accelerating primary forest loss mirroring population growth.

Cited by 218 publications

References 48 publications

Contextualizing Landscape-Scale Forest Cover Loss in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between 2000 and 2015

Contextualizing Landscape-Scale Forest Cover Loss in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between 2000 and 2015

From Bush Mangoes to Bouillon Cubes: Wild Plants and Diet among the Baka, Forager-Horticulturalists from Southeast Cameroon

The Global Forest Transition is a Human Affair

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