Bujumbura city has diversified but unevenly distributed green spaces. The typology and anthropogenic disturbances of these green spaces are still unknown. This study presents a typology of green spaces along the urban–rural gradient through a literature review. It assesses the presence of anthropogenic disturbances through inventories in 100 m × 100 m grids. Data reveal that Bujumbura’s green spaces are made up of green squares concentrated exclusively in urban areas, cemeteries present in peri-urban areas and sports green spaces observable all along the urbanization gradient. These green spaces are more exposed to trampling, which is more present in administrative entities with a peri-urban morphological status, as opposed to various constructions in administrative entities with an urban status. Finally, significative pairwise associations of anthropogenic disturbances were observed. The results show the need to protect these green spaces from all kinds of anthropogenic disturbances by raising the eco-responsible awareness of the population and the municipal authorities.

This study analyses the dynamics of green infrastructure (GI) in the cities of Bujumbura, Kinshasa, and Lubumbashi. A remote sensing approach, combined with landscape ecology metrics, characterized this analysis, which was based on three Landsat images acquired in 2000, 2013, and 2022 for each city. Spatial pattern indices reveal that GI was suppressed in Bujumbura and Kinshasa, in contrast to Lubumbashi, which exhibited fragmentation. Furthermore, the values of stability, aggregation, and fractal dimension metrics suggest that Bujumbura experienced rather intense dynamics and a reduction in the continuity of its GI, while Kinshasa showed weaker dynamics and tendencies towards patch aggregation during the study period. In contrast, Lubumbashi exhibited strong dynamics and aggregation of its GI within a context of significant anthropization. The evolution of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index demonstrates a sawtooth pattern in the evolution of tall vegetation patches in Bujumbura, compared to a gradual decrease in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi. It is recommended that urban growth in these cities should be carefully planned to ensure the integration of sufficient GI.

La prise de conscience de l’importance des espaces verts et des services écosystémiques qu’ils rendent est primordiale pour tout programme de leur protection en milieu urbain. Pour cette raison, la perception des espaces verts des communes de la ville de Bujumbura (Muha, Mukaza et Ntahangwa) au Burundi et de leurs services écosystémiques par les acteurs locaux à partir d’une enquête en ligne et semi-dirigée a été appréciée. Les résultats révèlent que, les espaces verts de la ville de Bujumbura sont concentrés dans la commune de Mukaza et suggèrent une répartition inégale. En outre, quelle que soit l’enquête, les terrains de jeux constituent le type d’espaces verts dominants à Bujumbura. Plus de 80 % des espaces verts sont qualifiés de publics et pour ceux qui sont privés, les acteurs ne sont pas unanimes au coût d’accessibilité. La qualité de leurs gestion et entretien est moyenne à Mukaza et faible dans d’autres communes de la ville. Les enquêtés perçoivent que les espaces verts offrent potentiellement la possibilité de loisir et du bien-être physique et psychologique comme services écosystémiques dominants. Des mesures de préservation d’espaces verts existants et ceux de création dans les parties de la ville en extension s’imposent.

In Haiti, uncontrolled urbanization is increasing pressure on agricultural landscapes, compromising both their ecological integrity and productivity. This study examines spatio-temporal land-use changes across three agricultural plains, Cul-de-Sac, Maribahoux, and Léogâne, between 1997 and 2024, using Landsat imagery and landscape metrics of composition (percentage of landscape, PLAND) and configuration (largest patch index, LPI). The findings reveal a rapid expansion of built-up areas, primarily at the expense of farmland. In the Cul-de-Sac plain, built-up areas and bare soil grew by 152%, from 41.26 km² to 104.11 km², while agricultural land became highly fragmented (LPI dropping from 94.51% to 57.63%). In Maribahoux, urbanization was more moderate, partly offset by a temporary rise in woody vegetation that peaked at 20.04% in 2022 before declining. The Léogâne plain experienced a 17.38 km² increase in built-up areas and bare soil, alongside a slight decrease in woody vegetation. Population density showed limited differences in Maribahoux and Léogâne, but marked disparities in Cul-de-Sac, where landscape transformation was more pronounced. These findings highlight increasing fragmentation of agricultural landscapes, threatening ecological connectivity and functionality, and stress the urgent need for land-use planning that curbs urban growth, protects farmland, and safeguards biodiversity.