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25 Aug 2024

Rising Incidents in Haut-Katanga Signal Ongoing Environmental Stress in DRC
Rising Incidents in Haut-Katanga Signal Ongoing Environmental Stress in DRC

A recent report has highlighted a concerning trend in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with a single fire incident recorded in the Haut-Katanga region on August 25, 2024. This incident is part of a broader pattern of environmental stress in the country, which has seen significant tree cover loss over the past two decades.

The DRC, with an area of over 232 million hectares, has a vast tree cover extent of approximately 199 million hectares. However, the country has experienced a net loss of tree cover of around 7.60 million hectares, which is a decline of about 3.55% from its original tree cover. This loss is primarily due to shifting agriculture, which accounts for the vast majority of tree cover loss, followed by urbanization, forestry, and wildfires.

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Shifting agriculture alone has led to a loss of millions of hectares of tree cover, with the highest recorded loss in 2014 at over 1.30 million hectares. Urbanization, while contributing less to the overall loss, has consistently added to the decline in tree cover each year.

The net change in tree cover shows a disturbing trend, with a net loss of over 6 million hectares when accounting for gains in tree cover. The disturbances to the tree cover have also been significant, amounting to over 14.50 million hectares.

The DRC's forests are crucial for the global ecosystem, and the ongoing loss of tree cover could have severe implications for biodiversity, climate regulation, and the livelihoods of local communities. The latest fire incident in Haut-Katanga is a stark reminder of the persistent environmental challenges facing the nation.

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