Spatial Variation in Environmental Impacts of Sugarcane Expansion in Brazil

Ivan Vera,Floor Van Der Hilst,Birka Wicke

doi:10.3390/land9100397

Abstract

In the past decades, sugarcane production in Brazil has expanded rapidly to meet increasing ethanol demand. The large majority of this expansion occurred in Sao Paulo state. We used an integrated approach considering location-specific biophysical characteristics to determine the environmental impacts of sugarcane expansion and their spatial variation in Sao Paulo state (2004–2015). The included environmental impacts are greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, biodiversity, soil erosion, and water quantity. All impacts were integrated into a single environmental performance index to determine trade-offs between impacts. Our results show a strong spatial variation in environmental impacts and trade-offs between them. The magnitude and direction of these impacts are mostly driven by the type of land use change and by the heterogeneity of the biophysical conditions. Areas where expansion of sugar cane has resulted in mostly negative environmental impacts are located in the center and east of the state (related to the change of shrublands, eucalyptus, and forest), while areas where sugar cane expansion has resulted in positive impacts are located in the center-west and north (related to the change of annual crops). Identifying areas with mainly positive and negative impacts enables the development of strategies to mitigate negative effects and enhance positive ones for future sugarcane expansion.

Highlights

The use of biomass for energy purposes is recognized as a key pillar for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and meeting worldwide climate change mitigation targets [1,2,3]
This study provided a detailed assessment of the spatial variation of environmental impacts of sugarcane expansion in Sao Paulo state in the period 2004–2015
The results show where positive and negative land use change (LUC)-related impacts from sugarcane expansion occurred

Summary

Introduction

The use of biomass for energy purposes is recognized as a key pillar for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and meeting worldwide climate change mitigation targets [1,2,3]. Brazil produces ethanol primarily from sugarcane and has developed an efficient model to produce sugar and ethanol in an integrated manner [6]. This development has led to an increase in sugarcane production and triggered more than 5.2 million hectares of land to be converted at the country level between 2000 and 2018 [7]. Many of the concerns are related to the environmental impacts of land use change (LUC) directly or indirectly caused by sugarcane expansion, and include, e.g., deforestation, habitat loss, soil erosion, GHG emissions, and impacts on water availability and quality [8,9,10]. In recent years, major attention has been given to monitor and assess the impacts of sugarcane expansion on biodiversity, soil, water, and GHG emissions [8,9,11]

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Conclusion