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

Abstract

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.

The context of REDD+ in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Drivers, agents and institutions, 2nd edition

“…REDD+ actors participating in our national consultation workshop felt this was key to prioritizing future actions across the DRC's various landscapes. Studies conducted by Tollens (2010), Peltier et al (2014), Tyukavina et al (2018), Lubamba (2019) and Molinario et al (2020) suggest that, in many parts of the DRC, deforestation is due to the expansion of smallholder cropland, firewood collection, construction and swidden agriculture, yet forestry and mining have greater potential to damage forest cover than local community practices do.…”

Le contexte de la REDD+ en République Démocratique du Congo: Causes, agents et institutions [2e édition]

“…Les études menées par Tollens (2010), Peltier et al (2014), Tyukavina et al (2018, Lubamba (2019) et Molinario et al (2020) suggèrent que dans de nombreuses régions du pays, la déforestation est due à l'expansion des petites exploitations agricoles, à la collecte du bois de chauffe, à la construction, à l'agriculture itinérante sur brûlis, mais aussi à l'exploitation forestière et minière qui constituent un potentiel destructeur bien plus important sur la couverture forestière que les pratiques des communautés locales.…”

“…Pourtant, le MEDD (2015a) rapporte que l'agriculture est la principale cause de déforestation. Ce point de vue est soutenu par Tyukavina et al (2018) et Molinario et al (2020), qui signalent que la perte forestière dans le bassin du Congo est dominée par l'augmentation du défrichement causé par les petits exploitants. Cependant, de nombreuses études, dont le rapport McKinsey de 2009, ont prédit qu'en 2015, 3,2 millions d'hectares de terres seraient déboisés pour le développement de projets agricoles industriels, y compris des plantations de palmiers à huile.…”

Protecting the patches from the footprints: examining the land use factors associated with forest patches in Atewa range forest reserve

“…Recent studies have identified several anthropogenic land uses that contribute to forest loss, forest fragmentation and land degradation [ 9 , 10 ]. Agriculture has been identified as one of the factors contributing to forest change, especially in the tropical regions of the world [ 11 – 16 ]. Related to agricultural activities is logging, which also involves the removal of forest cover [ 17 – 19 ].…”

“…fragmentation and land degradation [9,10]. Agriculture has been identified as one of the factors contributing to forest change, especially in the tropical regions of the world [11][12][13][14][15][16]. Related to agricultural activities is logging, which also involves the removal of forest cover [17][18][19].…”