Abstract
Despite the intense debates on the land acquisition effects of large-scale Ethiopian sugarcane plantations and the consequences for food security, the impact on biodiversity has received less attention. We compared remnant patches in the sugarcane zone to the adjacent woodlands to determine the impacts of sugarcane on the diversity, composition, and structure of woody species. We recorded individual woody specimens with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 2.5 cm from 56 quadrats of 200 m2 at each site in a systematic, random, and gradient-oriented transect design. In addition, we employed a trait-based risk assessment framework to examine the threat posed by agro-industrial sugarcane production on mammals, birds, and rodents. A total of 56 woody species, 38 in the woodlands and 30 in the sugarcane zone, were identified. The proportion of non-native woody species was higher (63%) in the sugarcane zone than in the adjacent woodlands (1%). The rodents and mammals were more abundant in the woodlands than in the sugarcane zone. Although we did not investigate all of the bird and mammal species, our results identified six rodent species, five mammal species, and one bird species as susceptible to sugarcane agriculture activities. The results suggest that large-scale agro-industrial sugarcane production impacts species diversity, composition and abundance of species, and species’ resource requirements.
Highlights
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is an important region for biodiversity conservation because it hosts nine of the 34 global biodiversity hotspots [1]
We recorded a total of 56 different species; 38 species from 20 families were identified in the woodlands and 30 species from 14 families were recorded in the sugarcane zone
Native woody species were dwindling in the sugarcane zone and further sugarcane expansion is likely detrimental to the biodiversity
Summary
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is an important region for biodiversity conservation because it hosts nine of the 34 global biodiversity hotspots [1]. Despite the significant desire for conservation, biodiversity is rapidly declining in this region. Agriculture is the primary driver of habitat loss and threatens biodiversity in all human-dominated landscapes [2], SSA [3], and Ethiopia [4,5]. Since the mid-2000s, SSA biodiversity has faced additional challenges due to large-scale industrial crop expansions [6,7,8]. Ethiopia has recently been targeted for large-scale industrial crop expansions [9,10]. As of 2013, of the 11,545,902 ha of potential land identified by the Ministry of Agriculture for investment, 2.11 million ha (11.5% of the total land under cultivation) was allotted to large-scale agriculture, 303,500 ha of which was for sugarcane [11]
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