High-Temporal-Resolution Analysis of Land Cover Dynamics in the Luilu Sector (DR Congo) Between 1990 and 2024: Mapping and Quantifying Early Landscape Changes

The Luilu sector, located in the Katangan Copperbelt (southeastern DR Congo), has expe-rienced intensified extractive activities over several decades. While this dynamic contrib-utes to national economic growth, it generates environmental and social impacts that re-main insufficiently documented, particularly regarding landscape structure and resili-ence. This study examines changes in land cover and spatial organization between 1990 and 2024 under increasing anthropogenic pressures. The methodology combines a mul-ti-temporal cartographic approach with landscape ecology indices (composition, frag-mentation, connectivity, spatial complexity) applied to satellite imagery. The analysis re-veals 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 fragmenta-tion, and reduced ecosystem resilience. The largest patch index shows a reduction in for-est 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.