Article (Scientific journals)
Dynamics and Anthropisation of Edible Caterpillar Habitats in the Landscape of the Luki Biosphere Reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Lonpi Tipi, Ernestine; Mpanda Mukenza, Médard; Useni Sikuzani, Yannick et al.
2025In Land, 14 (7), p. 1384
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Keywords :
anthropisation; biodiversity; ecosystem; food security; Luki biosphere reserve; Global and Planetary Change; Ecology; Nature and Landscape Conservation
Abstract :
[en] The Luki Biosphere Reserve landscape is located in the southwest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Illicit anthropogenic activities in this landscape have contributed to the degradation of forest massifs, which are habitats for edible caterpillars. Accordingly, based on five Landsat images covering 2004–2024 period, we analysed the dynamics of edible caterpillar habitats in the Luki Biosphere Reserve, its periphery, and the landscape. The study was complemented by the calculation of class area, number of class patches, dominance, and the disturbance index. The results show that fragmentation and attrition have caused forest areas to decline by 46.13%, 21.17%, and 23.54% in the Reserve, its periphery, and at the landscape level, respectively. The dynamics of caterpillar habitats are reflected in the replacement of forest and fallow land by savannah. The level of disturbance has thus risen from 0.3 to 1.6 in the Reserve, from 2.5 to 13.9 in the periphery, and from 2.0 to 9.2 on a landscape scale. These results are mainly attributed to the expansion of agricultural land. Our observations imply an extent of disturbance in caterpillar habitats that might cause their scarcity, and strongly indicate the need for promoting effective strategies for preserving and restoring forest ecosystems in this landscape.
Disciplines :
Environmental sciences & ecology
Author, co-author :
Lonpi Tipi, Ernestine;  Regional Postgraduate School for Integrated Management of Forests and Tropical Territories (ERAIFT), University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic Congo
Mpanda Mukenza, Médard  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre ; Department of Plants Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Kolwezi, Kolwezi, Democratic Republic Congo
Useni Sikuzani, Yannick ;  Ecology, Restauration Ecology and Landscape Unit, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic Congo
Messina Ndzomo, Jean-Pierre;  Faculty of Architecture, University of Notre Dame of Kananga, Kananga, Democratic Republic Congo
Sambieni Kouagou, Raoul ;  Regional Postgraduate School for Integrated Management of Forests and Tropical Territories (ERAIFT), University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic Congo ; Department of Plants Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Kolwezi, Kolwezi, Democratic Republic Congo ; Ecology, Restauration Ecology and Landscape Unit, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic Congo ; Faculty of Architecture, University of Notre Dame of Kananga, Kananga, Democratic Republic Congo ; Central Africa Platform, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Malaisse, François  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département GxABT > Biodiversité, Ecosystème et Paysage (BEP)
Lumande Kasali, Joseph;  Faculty of Science, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic Congo
Khasa, Damase;  Centre for Forest Research, Institute of Integrative Biology and Systems, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
Bogaert, Jan  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département GxABT > Biodiversité, Ecosystème et Paysage (BEP)
Language :
English
Title :
Dynamics and Anthropisation of Edible Caterpillar Habitats in the Landscape of the Luki Biosphere Reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Publication date :
July 2025
Journal title :
Land
eISSN :
2073-445X
Publisher :
MDPI
Volume :
14
Issue :
7
Pages :
1384
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funders :
EU - European Union
Funding text :
Support for the NSERC Discovery Grant is gratefully acknowledged. We also extend our gratitude to the local communities living in and around the Luki Biosphere Reserve.The internship which strengthened our capacity in analyzing spatial dynamics using satellite images, GIS and landscape ecology at the Ecology, Ecological Restoration and Landscape Unit of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Lubumbashi, was funded by the European Union in June 2021. This internship was carried out as part of the project \u2018Strengthening Climate Change Resilience of Local Communities in Luki and Mai-Ndombe, Democratic Republic of Congo\u2019, which was implemented by the Regional Postgraduate School for Integrated Management of Forests and Tropical Territories (ERAIFT) and the World Wide Fund for Nature.
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