Why has soil erosion increased in the countryside around Kinshasa?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Kinshasa Skyline view of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Soil erosion in the countryside surrounding Kinshasa has increased primarily due to the intense demands of the city's rapidly expanding population.1

This environmental degradation is driven by two main factors:

Overcultivation: As the urban population grows, the surrounding land is subjected to excessive farming, which exhausts the soil's nutrients and stability.1
Deforestation: Trees in the region are frequently cut down to produce charcoal for fuel. Because these trees are not being replanted, the land is left vulnerable to erosion.1

These pressures are exacerbated by the city's ongoing economic challenges, which force many residents to forage for resources at significant distances from the urban center.1