Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Land Use in the Luilu Sector (DR Congo) Between 1990 and 2024: Mapping and Quantification of Changes

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The Luilu sector, located in the Katangan Copperbelt (southeastern DR Congo), has experienced intensified extractive activities over several decades. While this dynamic contributes to national economic growth, it generates environmental and social impacts that remain insufficiently documented, particularly regarding landscape structure and resilience. This study examines changes in land use and spatial organization between 1990 and 2024 under increasing anthropogenic pressures. The methodology combines a multi-temporal cartographic approach with landscape ecology indices (composition, fragmentation, connectivity, spatial complexity) applied to satellite imagery. The analysis reveals a significant decline in natural formations, notably Miombo woodlands (from 50.83% to 38.89%), correlated with the rapid expansion of agricultural (from 4.25% to 13.41%) and urban areas (from 0.64% to 5.05%), primarily driven by shifting cultivation and urbanization. Ecological indices indicate growing instability, increased fragmentation, and reduced ecosystem resilience. The largest patch index shows a reduction in forest dominance (29.62% to 24.34%), while fractal analysis highlights rapid, disorganized, and spatially complex urban expansion. These dynamics reflect a rapid, unplanned landscape reconfiguration, undermining ecological connectivity and reinforcing regional socio-environmental vulnerability. The study underscores the need to integrate landscape dynamics into local land management policies in order to balance mining development, food security, and ecosystem conservation.