Temporal Climate Variability in Luki Biosphere Reserve, Mayombe, Democratic Republic of Congo

The aim of this study was to evaluate the temporal climate variability in Biosphere Reserve of Luki (BRL) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from 1959 to 2018. Historical weather data (total daily rainfall, average daily temperature, and average daily relative humidity) collected at Luki meteorology station were analyzed using the Standardized precipitation index (SPI) method. All weather data series used were homogeneous. Results indicated a significant increase in temperature over the reference period and slight increase in both precipitation and relative humidity. A decrease in the number of rainfall days was also observed. The SPI values pointed to higher climate instability of the Luki biosphere. Rainfall onset was observed in the month of October with a drift at the beginning of November and retreated in May. The dry season spanned over a period of 5 months on average. The high climate variability observed at this meteorological station confirm that DRC and probably other Central African countries may not be immune to climatic change. In such environments, development of climate-smart technologies such as early maturing crop varieties and the use of sustainable agricultural practices such as mixed cropping and agroforestry is recommended especially to small farmers to increase resilience and adaptation to climate change.