Les espaces verts en zone urbaine et périurbaine de Kinshasa en République Démocratique du Congo

Abstract

Green Spaces in the Urban and Peri-urban Area of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This study evaluates the characteristics of green spaces subject to peri-urbanization in Kinshasa. It analyzes their typology, spatial pattern, vegetation, management, state of maintenance and potential ecosystem services. The analysis is based on a random sample of 87 green spaces situated in urban and peri-urban areas of the city and is mainly based on Fisher exact tests and analysis of variance. Results show that the studied green spaces have similar characteristics along the urbanization gradient with a relatively high plant species diversity in peri-urban areas. Peri-urban areas stand out for gardens while green spaces with collective courts characterize most urban areas. As for the expected ecosystem services, they show little variation along the urban-rural gradient. Nevertheless, the dominant ecosystem services are less related to the improvement of the environmental quality of inhabited areas than to economic and or socio-cultural population needs. It seems necessary to establish a multifunctional green network through the maintenance and development of green spaces responding to the social demand and environmental challenges of the city.