Miombo woodland, an ecosystem at risk of disappearance in the Lufira Biosphere Reserve (Upper Katanga, DR Congo)? A 39-years analysis based on Landsat images

Lufira Biosphere Reserve (LBR) is a protected area located in Southeastern DR Congo, created for the conservation of Miombo woodland, an ecosystem threatened by anthropogenic activities developed in the region. However, scientific studies regarding land cover dynamics within the LBR are non-existent to date. This study maps and quantifies the land cover dynamics within and around the LBR, based on diachronic analysis of five Landsat images (1979, 1986, 1998, 2008 and 2018) and field verification missions. Landscape metrics were utilized to understand changes in landscape pattern. The results indicate that Miombo woodland area have been reduced by a factor of three in the LBR, as they covered 11.2 km(2) in 2018 compared to 85.3 km(2) in 1979. The annual deforestation rate between 1979 and 2018 was 1.8%, almost eight-fold higher than the rate registered at the country level. Within the LBR, this deforestation has been offset by an increase in areas occupied by grassy savanna (+16.9 km(2)), as well as fields and fallows (+53.3 km(2)). Further, water and wetland area increased by 17.9 km(2) in 39 years whereas the wooded savanna, the bare soil and built-up decreased by 24.9 km(2) and 4.0 km(2) respectively. In general, analysis of landscape spatial pattern dynamics through landscape metrics, showed a process of creation and aggregation of grassy savanna, water and wetlands, as well as fields and fallows, as opposed to dissection and attrition of Miombo woodland, wooded savanna, bare soil and built-up. Overall, the LBR has undergone a major transformation, mainly due to demographic pressure and the development of subsistence activities in a precarious economic context. The study concludes that in the absence of any land use planning policy, LBR risks losing its status following lost of the rare Miombo woodland patches still existing. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.