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Perceptions of Residents of the Kinkole Neighborhood on the Role of Trees in the Peri-urban Environment of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Received: 26 March 2021     Accepted: 20 April 2021     Published: 29 April 2021
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Abstract

The city of Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is currently experiencing unprecedented urban and peri-urban development, which is reflected in the degradation and loss of vegetation cover. There is a real need to conduct sociological studies on trees to help leaders in their decision-making. This research aims to analyze the perception of the population on the role of trees in the peri-urban area of the city of Kinshasa. The data were collected through a survey conducted in the Kinkole neighborhood, located in the eastern part of the city. A total of 321 residential plots were sampled between September and November 2017 to conduct semi-structured individual interviews. After compilation, the collected information was synchronized and then analyzed using Excel software to produce relative and absolute frequencies. The results obtained show that trees are primarily planted for economic, food, shade, and pharmacopoeia needs. The trees planted in the plots are mostly fruit trees, of which three species alone account for more than two-thirds of the planting. These are the mango tree (Mangifera indica) with 31.3% of trees planted, followed by the avocado tree (Persea americana) representing 31.1% of the plantation and then the safflower tree (Dacryodes edulis) representing 25.7%. The seedlings of these trees come mainly from consumed seeds. However, nearly half of the residents feel that they do not need to add other trees to their plots due to lack of space or property rights. These results reveal the urgency of promoting urban and peri-urban forestry through the development of a policy and strategies for the adequate management of peri-urban spaces in the city of Kinshasa. This is in order to improve the quality of life of the human population in order to face the current challenges related to the effects of climate change in urban and peri-urban areas.

Published in Journal of Plant Sciences (Volume 9, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.jps.20210902.13
Page(s) 46-53
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Uncontrolled Urbanization, Space Planning, Parcel Trees, Planting, Urban and Peri-urban Forestry, Kinshasa

References
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    Jean Semeki Ngabinzeke, Heritier Kaki Mokuba, Jean-Paul Tasi Mbuangi, Prince Baraka Lucungu, Papy-Claude Bolaluembe Boliale, et al. (2021). Perceptions of Residents of the Kinkole Neighborhood on the Role of Trees in the Peri-urban Environment of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Journal of Plant Sciences, 9(2), 46-53. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20210902.13

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    ACS Style

    Jean Semeki Ngabinzeke; Heritier Kaki Mokuba; Jean-Paul Tasi Mbuangi; Prince Baraka Lucungu; Papy-Claude Bolaluembe Boliale, et al. Perceptions of Residents of the Kinkole Neighborhood on the Role of Trees in the Peri-urban Environment of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. J. Plant Sci. 2021, 9(2), 46-53. doi: 10.11648/j.jps.20210902.13

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    AMA Style

    Jean Semeki Ngabinzeke, Heritier Kaki Mokuba, Jean-Paul Tasi Mbuangi, Prince Baraka Lucungu, Papy-Claude Bolaluembe Boliale, et al. Perceptions of Residents of the Kinkole Neighborhood on the Role of Trees in the Peri-urban Environment of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. J Plant Sci. 2021;9(2):46-53. doi: 10.11648/j.jps.20210902.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jps.20210902.13,
      author = {Jean Semeki Ngabinzeke and Heritier Kaki Mokuba and Jean-Paul Tasi Mbuangi and Prince Baraka Lucungu and Papy-Claude Bolaluembe Boliale and Jean-Marie Kahindo Muhongya},
      title = {Perceptions of Residents of the Kinkole Neighborhood on the Role of Trees in the Peri-urban Environment of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo},
      journal = {Journal of Plant Sciences},
      volume = {9},
      number = {2},
      pages = {46-53},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jps.20210902.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20210902.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jps.20210902.13},
      abstract = {The city of Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is currently experiencing unprecedented urban and peri-urban development, which is reflected in the degradation and loss of vegetation cover. There is a real need to conduct sociological studies on trees to help leaders in their decision-making. This research aims to analyze the perception of the population on the role of trees in the peri-urban area of the city of Kinshasa. The data were collected through a survey conducted in the Kinkole neighborhood, located in the eastern part of the city. A total of 321 residential plots were sampled between September and November 2017 to conduct semi-structured individual interviews. After compilation, the collected information was synchronized and then analyzed using Excel software to produce relative and absolute frequencies. The results obtained show that trees are primarily planted for economic, food, shade, and pharmacopoeia needs. The trees planted in the plots are mostly fruit trees, of which three species alone account for more than two-thirds of the planting. These are the mango tree (Mangifera indica) with 31.3% of trees planted, followed by the avocado tree (Persea americana) representing 31.1% of the plantation and then the safflower tree (Dacryodes edulis) representing 25.7%. The seedlings of these trees come mainly from consumed seeds. However, nearly half of the residents feel that they do not need to add other trees to their plots due to lack of space or property rights. These results reveal the urgency of promoting urban and peri-urban forestry through the development of a policy and strategies for the adequate management of peri-urban spaces in the city of Kinshasa. This is in order to improve the quality of life of the human population in order to face the current challenges related to the effects of climate change in urban and peri-urban areas.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Perceptions of Residents of the Kinkole Neighborhood on the Role of Trees in the Peri-urban Environment of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
    AU  - Jean Semeki Ngabinzeke
    AU  - Heritier Kaki Mokuba
    AU  - Jean-Paul Tasi Mbuangi
    AU  - Prince Baraka Lucungu
    AU  - Papy-Claude Bolaluembe Boliale
    AU  - Jean-Marie Kahindo Muhongya
    Y1  - 2021/04/29
    PY  - 2021
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20210902.13
    DO  - 10.11648/j.jps.20210902.13
    T2  - Journal of Plant Sciences
    JF  - Journal of Plant Sciences
    JO  - Journal of Plant Sciences
    SP  - 46
    EP  - 53
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2331-0731
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20210902.13
    AB  - The city of Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is currently experiencing unprecedented urban and peri-urban development, which is reflected in the degradation and loss of vegetation cover. There is a real need to conduct sociological studies on trees to help leaders in their decision-making. This research aims to analyze the perception of the population on the role of trees in the peri-urban area of the city of Kinshasa. The data were collected through a survey conducted in the Kinkole neighborhood, located in the eastern part of the city. A total of 321 residential plots were sampled between September and November 2017 to conduct semi-structured individual interviews. After compilation, the collected information was synchronized and then analyzed using Excel software to produce relative and absolute frequencies. The results obtained show that trees are primarily planted for economic, food, shade, and pharmacopoeia needs. The trees planted in the plots are mostly fruit trees, of which three species alone account for more than two-thirds of the planting. These are the mango tree (Mangifera indica) with 31.3% of trees planted, followed by the avocado tree (Persea americana) representing 31.1% of the plantation and then the safflower tree (Dacryodes edulis) representing 25.7%. The seedlings of these trees come mainly from consumed seeds. However, nearly half of the residents feel that they do not need to add other trees to their plots due to lack of space or property rights. These results reveal the urgency of promoting urban and peri-urban forestry through the development of a policy and strategies for the adequate management of peri-urban spaces in the city of Kinshasa. This is in order to improve the quality of life of the human population in order to face the current challenges related to the effects of climate change in urban and peri-urban areas.
    VL  - 9
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • Department of Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • Department of Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • Department of Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • Department of Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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