Temporal land use patterns, woody plant diversity, and carbon sequestration in Mumosho forest landscape, Eastern DR Congo

Forests offer numerous ecosystem services that enhance human livelihoods. However, without proper regulation, human activities can deteriorate forest ecosystems. This study aims to evaluate the land use and cover dynamics in Mumosho municipality, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and assess the diversity and carbon sequestration capacity of its woody species. We conducted a supervised classification of Landsat images from 1994, 2004, 2013, and 2023 and calculated spatial structure indices to analyze anthropization and deforestation in the area. From 1994 to 2013, the Mumosho landscape experienced significant deforestation, with rates of 3.69% per year (1994–2004) and 0.12% per year (2004–2013), while the anthropization rate increased from 0.45 in 1994 to 1.33 in 2013. However, from 2013 to 2023, forest cover began to recover at a rate of 0.99% per year. The current floristic diversity in the Mumosho forest is notable, with a high Shannon index of 3.59, including 30 woody species from 19 botanical families. Eucalyptus globulus and Grevillea robusta are the most abundant species, with relative frequencies of 25.84% and 17.16%, respectively. Collectively, these woody species contribute an average carbon sequestration capacity of 113.429 ± 91.354 tC/ha. These findings underscore the importance of reinforcing (re)forestation initiatives and sustainable forest management strategies to safeguard ecosystem services and mitigate environmental degradation.