Dynamics and Anthropisation of Edible Caterpillar Habitats in the Landscape of the Luki Biosphere Reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ernestine Lonpi Tipi (), Médard Mpanda Mukenza, Yannick Useni Sikuzani, Jean-Pierre Messina Ndzomo, Raoul Sambieni Kouagou, François Malaisse, Joseph Lumande Kasali, Damase Khasa and Jan Bogaert
Additional contact information
Ernestine Lonpi Tipi: Regional Postgraduate School for Integrated Management of Forests and Tropical Territories (ERAIFT), University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 15373, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Médard Mpanda Mukenza: Department of Plants Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Kolwezi, Kolwezi P.O. Box 57, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Yannick Useni Sikuzani: Ecology, Restauration Ecology and Landscape Unit, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi P.O. Box 1825, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Jean-Pierre Messina Ndzomo: Faculty of Architecture, University of Notre Dame of Kananga, Kananga P.O. Box 70, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Raoul Sambieni Kouagou: Regional Postgraduate School for Integrated Management of Forests and Tropical Territories (ERAIFT), University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 15373, Democratic Republic of the Congo
François Malaisse: Biodiversity and Landscape Unit, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Joseph Lumande Kasali: Faculty of Science, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 15373, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Damase Khasa: Centre for Forest Research, Institute of Integrative Biology and Systems, Laval University, Quebec City, QC G1V 5C3, Canada
Jan Bogaert: Biodiversity and Landscape Unit, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-24

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: anthropisation; biodiversity; ecosystem; food security; Luki biosphere reserve (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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