This study aimed to evaluate the role of trees outside forests on agricultural land (TOF-AL) in preserving the initial aboveground biomass (AGB) of forests within the agricultural landscape of Mongala province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2024, tree inventories were conducted over four months in the forests and agricultural lands of Mongala province to analyse AGB. The effects of artisanal logging and charcoal production activities on the AGB conservation rate were considered. This study indicates that 78.3% of the trees encountered in agricultural lands were large-diameter trees (diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 60 cm). In forest areas, large-diameter trees accounted for 55.9% of tree density. The average AGBs are 66.8 Mg ha⁻¹ for TOF-AL and 373.5 Mg ha⁻¹ for forest trees. The AGB of TOF-AL accounts for 17.9% of the AGB of the total forest trees. The AGB conservation rates vary by region, with Lisala having the highest at 22.1%, Bumba the lowest at 11.2%, and Bongandanga at 20.5%. Artisanal logging and charcoal production reduce the AGB conservation rate of TOF-AL. The AGB conservation rate is positively correlated with the distances to major cities. These results prove that conserving trees in agricultural landscapes can reduce the AGB losses associated with slash-and-burn agriculture and contribute to mitigating climate change effects.

Accurate mapping of woody biomass and its temporal change is critical for understanding the global carbon balance, informing restoration and supporting evidence‐based policy on climate mitigation and livelihoods. The vegetation of the dry tropics, comprised largely of dry forests and savannas, holds substantial woody carbon stocks, but both stocks and change over time remain uncertain. Where Earth Observation (EO) data have been used to estimate change over time, different products give conflicting results on the direction, magnitude and location of change. We present pan‐dry‐tropical maps of aboveground carbon density (AGCD) and AGCD change at 100 m resolution for the years 2015–2024, developed using ALOS ScanSAR satellite radar observations calibrated with in situ measurements ( n = 237). These maps suggest an aboveground woody carbon pool (AGC) in the dry tropics of 25.3 2.0 PgC, ~13.0% of global AGC. Net AGC has increased by 0.43 0.07 PgC yr ⁻¹ , ~20.0% of the global net land sink. The overall net increase (0.43 PgC yr ⁻¹ ) is comprised of gross losses from deforestation and degradation (0.27 0.05 PgC yr ⁻¹ ) and gains due to densification and extensification of 0.59 0.1 PgC yr ⁻¹ , with the balance accounted for by small changes (change < 20% of AGCD; 0.11 PgC yr ⁻¹ ). Losses are equally split between degradation and deforestation, while gains are divided roughly 2:1 between the densification of woody ecosystems and expansion into previously grass‐dominated areas. These new maps, created with a dry‐tropics‐specific EO method, highlight the importance of tropical dry forests and savannas in the global carbon cycle. The prominent role of degradation‐related losses suggests that climate change mitigation will need to focus much more on reducing losses from overharvesting than at present. The widespread increases in carbon density and the increase in tree biomass into open systems present major challenges for biodiversity conservation, restoration and livelihoods.

This study aimed to evaluate the role of trees outside forests on agricultural land (TOF-AL) in preserving the initial aboveground biomass (AGB) of forests within the agricultural landscape of Mongala province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2024, tree inventories were conducted over four months in the forests and agricultural lands of Mongala province to estimate above-ground biomass (AGB). The effects of artisanal logging and charcoal production activities on the AGB conservation rate were considered. The study indicates that 78.3% of trees encountered in the agricultural lands were large-diameter trees (DBH ≥ 10 cm). In forest areas, large-diameter trees account for 55.9% of tree density. The average AGB are 66.8 Mg ha^-1 for TOF-AL and 373.5 Mg ha^-1 for forest trees. The AGB of TOF-AL accounts for 17.9% of the total forest trees AGB. The AGB conservation rates vary by region, with Lisala having the highest at 22.1%, Bumba the lowest at 11.2%, and Bongandanga at 20.5%. Artisanal logging and charcoal production reduce the AGB conservation rate by TOF-AL. The AGB conservation rate is positively correlated with the distances to the major cities. These results prove that conserving trees in agricultural landscapes can reduce AGB losses associated with slash-and-burn agriculture and contribute to mitigating climate change effects.