La déforestation au prisme des terroirs villageois en situation de mosaïque forêt-savane, République Démocratique du Congo

The forest-savannah mosaics are an ecological and heterogenous formation, where landscape structure and composition vary substantially. This study investigates the spatial organization of human activities at the scale of village terroirs of the North Batéké Chiefdom, Democratic Republic of Congo. How are human activities organized on the periphery of the villages? Is there local variability in the spatiality of these activities and what factors account for such variability? Finally, what are the consequences on the landscape, particularly in terms of deforestation? These questions were addressed by crossing data from georeferenced field surveys and socio-economic surveys, all of which were triangulated with analyses from geomatics (GIS and remote sensing). A theoretical model of the village terroir was produced for all villages, consisting of a concentric organization of activities on the periphery of villages, based on the maximum distances walked for each activity. A variation in these distances was observed, notably concerning agriculture, because of demography, availability of woodlands, the presence of community forests and the intensity of economic agriculture. This inter-village variability made it possible to highlight a village typology directly linked to the landscape composition of the terroirs, and thus to highlight different socio-ecological situations within a small area. This has made it possible to identify certain deforestation hotspots, and, conversely, areas where there is little degradation of forest cover. Ultimately, this study aims to support local policies in terms of development and conservation by enabling them to act in an integrated approach at the village level. By relying on the concept of village terroir, this research highlights the relevance of carrying out local, or even micro-local, studies in order to gain a better understanding of the complexity of human-environment relations, which are directly visible on the landscape.