Kaiwei Liang¹ , Jianquan Li²

1 Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory for Crop Molecular Breeding, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China
2 Hainan Institute of Troppical Agricultural Resources (HITAR), Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Molecular Evolution and Biodiversity, 2024, Vol. 14, No. 2   doi: 10.5376/ijmeb.2024.14.0009
Received: 19 Feb., 2024    Accepted: 28 Mar., 2024    Published: 17 Apr., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Liang K.W., and Li J.Q., 2024, Habitat destruction and biodiversity loss due to sugarcane expansion, International Journal of Molecular Evolution and Biodiversity, 14(2): 71-79 (doi: 10.5376/ijmeb.2024.14.0009)

This study explores the environmental and ecological impacts of sugarcane expansion in Brazil, India, and Australia. It highlights the significant effects of sugarcane cultivation on biodiversity, soil health, water resources, and local climates. In Brazil, the expansion into the Cerrado and Amazon regions has led to biodiversity losses, especially in soil fauna and altered hydrological cycles. In India, intensive cultivation practices have degraded local biodiversity and ecosystem services. In Australia, runoff from sugarcane fields threatens the Great Barrier Reef by causing algal blooms and coral bleaching. The study emphasizes the need for sustainable agriculture practices, robust environmental policies, community engagement, and international cooperation to mitigate the adverse effects of sugarcane cultivation. Recommendations include enforcing stricter environmental regulations, promoting sustainable farming practices, and investing in research for resilient crop varieties.

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.); Sugarcane expansion; Environmental impact; Biodiversity loss; Sustainable agriculture; Soil health; Water resources; Policy; Recommendations