Species and uses of trees outside forests on agricultural land in the Kisangani region in Democratic Republic of Congo

Slash and burn agriculture is the main cause of deforestation in tropical regions. Despite its destruction of biodiversity, some species persist in the rural landscape. This study therefore aims to identify what these species are in the Kisangani region and what are the reasons for their conservation in the fields by farmers. To do this, an inventory of Trees Outside Forests on agricultural land was carried out in 300 fields distributed in 10 villages in the Kisangani region. For each tree encountered, the census of species uses was carried out using semi-structured interviews with the owner of the field. In total, 23 species have been identified with 13 considered as preferred by the populations because of their value of ethnobotanical use. These are Petersianthus macrocarpus, Ricinodendron heudelotii, Afzelia bipendensis, Garcinia kola, Albizia adianthifolia, Erythrophleum suaveolens, Khaya anthotheca, Pycnanthus angolensis, Piptadeniastrum africanum, Macaranga monandra, Canarium schweinfurthii and Entandrophragma cylindricum. Petersianthus macrocarpus is the species with the highest ethnobotanical use value (VUETs = 3.52) due to its many uses in food, traditional medicine and trade. The conservation of a species in the field is more linked to its role in food and traditional medicine.

Keywords: Trees Outside Forest, Agricultural Land, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo