70% of the planet’s biodiversity is concentrated in 10% of the earth, specifically in 20 countries in the world, which are known as megadiverse countries, among which is Guatemala.
In the south of Guatemala you can find great biological diversity. For example, in the farms where sugar cane is grown there are forests, rivers, flora, fauna that together form the so-called agro landscape. Twenty-two families of amphibians and reptiles have been identified, as well as 219 species of trees, which provide food and shelter for fauna in the sugarcane agro landscape.
The National Reforestation Plan of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry carried out every year benefits the conservation of biological diversity. The Sugar Industry has 2,507 hectares of natural forests, which are protected and cared for.
Bird shelter
The agricultural landscape on the farms where sugar cane is grown is home to 248 different species of birds. According to studies by the Private Institute for Climate Change Research -ICC-, 55 of these species are protected according to international and national conservation lists.
In addition, ICC researchers have identified 78 species of migratory birds, which find refuge in the agricultural landscape of sugarcane. These species travel each year from the northern hemisphere of the continent towards the south.
Migratory birds travel between September and November of each year and return to North America between March and May. When they pass through Guatemala, the forested areas of the cane fields provide them with food and shelter, thus they manage to accumulate energy to fly and continue their journey.
This agro-landscape, and the scientific evidence compiled by experts, reaffirms the commitment of the Sugar Industry to be environmentally sustainable and conserve the biological diversity of the South of Guatemala.