Vegetation Fires in the Lubumbashi Charcoal Production Basin (The Democratic Republic of the Congo): Drivers, Extent and Spatiotemporal Dynamics

Yannick Useni Sikuzani, Médard Mpanda Mukenza (), Héritier Khoji Muteya, Nadège Cirezi Cizungu, François Malaisse and Jan Bogaert ()
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Yannick Useni Sikuzani: Unité Ecologie, Restauration Ecologique et Paysage, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université de Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi P.O. Box 1825, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Médard Mpanda Mukenza: Département de Gestion des Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université Technologique Katumba Mwanke, Lubumbashi P.O. Box 74, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Héritier Khoji Muteya: Unité Ecologie, Restauration Ecologique et Paysage, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université de Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi P.O. Box 1825, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Nadège Cirezi Cizungu: Ecole Régionale Post-Universitaire d’Aménagement et Gestion Intégrés des Forêts et Territoires Tropicaux (ERAIFT), Kinshasa P.O. Box 15373, Democratic Republic of the Congo
François Malaisse: Unité Biodiversité et Paysage, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Université de Liège, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
Jan Bogaert: Unité Biodiversité et Paysage, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Université de Liège, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-20

Abstract: In the Lubumbashi charcoal production basin (LCPB) in Southeastern DR Congo, agricultural and charcoal production activities regularly give rise to fires that lead to considerable degradation of the miombo open forest. This study analyzes the drivers of the spatiotemporal distribution of active fires and burnt areas in the LCPB by processing MODIS and Landsat data. In addition, a kernel density analysis method (KDE) was used to estimate fire risk, while the effect of the road network and dwellings on vegetation fires was highlighted in areas between a 0 and 3000 m radius. The obtained results revealed that fires in the LCPB generally occur between April and November, mainly during the day, between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. These fires are concentrated in the central and southwestern part of the LCPB, more specifically in the savannahs and near roads. From 2002 to 2022, an average of 11,237 active fires and an average of 6337 km 2 of burnt areas were recorded in the LCPB. Each year, these fires peak in August, and despite their steady decline, the few fires that have affected the forests have caused more devastation (more than 2790 km 2 /year) than those observed in the fields and savannah. These figures highlight the imperative need to put in place fire prevention and management measures in the LCPB, with particular emphasis on awareness, monitoring, and fire-fighting measures.

Keywords: agriculture; carbonization; bushfire; GIS/remote sensing; landscape ecology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
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