Land-cover change in Cuba may favor biodiversity: An example using Omphalea (Angiosperma: Euphorbiaceae) and Urania boisduvalii (Lepidoptera: Uraniidae)

Abstract

Changes in land cover directly affect biodiversity. Here we assessed land-cover change in Cuba in the past 35 years and analyzed how this change may affect the distribution of Omphalea plants and Urania boisduvalii moths. We analyzed the vegetation cover of the Cuban archipelago between 1985 and 2020. We used Google Earth Engine to classify two satellite image compositions into seven cover types: forest and shrubs, mangrove, soil without vegetation cover, wetlands, pine forest, agriculture, and water bodies. We considered three different areas for quantifications of land-cover change: (1) protected areas, (2) areas of potential distribution of Omphalea, and (3) areas of potential distribution of the plant within the protected areas. We found that the category of "forest and shrubs" have increased significantly in Cuba in the past 35 years and that most of the gained forest and shrub areas were agricultural land in the past. This same pattern was observed in the areas of potential distribution of Omphalea; whereas almost all cover types were mostly stables inside the protected areas. The transformation of agricultural areas into forest and shrubs could represent an interesting opportunity for biodiversity conservation in Cuba. Other detailed studies about biodiversity composition in areas of forest and shrubs gain would greatly benefit our understanding on the value of such areas for conservation.