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9 Sept 2024

DRC's Lualaba Region Faces New Fire Incident Amid Ongoing Tree Cover Challenges
DRC's Lualaba Region Faces New Fire Incident Amid Ongoing Tree Cover Challenges

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recently reported a new fire incident in the Lualaba region, adding to the country's environmental challenges. Over the years, the DRC has experienced significant tree cover loss, primarily due to shifting agriculture, which accounts for the vast majority of the loss. The data reveals a disturbing trend of increasing tree cover loss, with a peak in 2017, followed by a slight decrease in subsequent years.

From 2001 to 2022, the DRC lost approximately 7.59 million hectares of tree cover, which represents a 3.55% decrease from the stable tree cover of 146.86 million hectares. Notably, the country saw a net loss of around 6 million hectares during this period, even when accounting for gains in tree cover.

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Shifting agriculture remains the leading driver of this loss, with other factors such as forestry, wildfires, and urbanization contributing to a lesser extent. The impact of wildfires, while relatively small in comparison to agriculture, has been persistent, with incidents occurring annually.

The latest fire alert in Lualaba underscores the ongoing vulnerability of the DRC's forests to various disturbances. The country's rich biodiversity and vast forested areas continue to face pressures that not only affect local ecosystems but also have broader implications for global climate change mitigation efforts.

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