Diversity and abundance of arthropod communities from Rugezi Marshland, Northern Rwanda: call for effective and sustainable biodiversity conservation planning

Abstract Wetlands contribute to economic development through the provisioning of ecosystem services. In Rwanda, the exploitation of wetlands for agriculture is a recent phenomenon, introduced in response to food shortages in the dry season and drought periods. Few studies have documented the biodiversity of wetlands in Rwanda, such as the high altitude Rugezi marshland; a Ramsar site located in the north of Rwanda. To fill this gap, the first arthropod inventories were conducted in 2023, from June to July (dry season) and from November to December (rainy season) at Rugezi marshland. Data was collected in sites located in the northeast and northwest of the marshland using hand collection, pitfall traps, and sweep nets. Collected specimens were preserved in 75% ethanol and identified to the order and family levels using dichotomous keys. A total of 26,944 individuals of arthropods were sampled with 17,074 recorded during the dry season and 9,870 during the rainy season. High abundance was found in the northwest (N = 14,739) compared to the northeast (N = 12,151). Using this data, we found that there was a statistically significant difference in the diversity of arthropods between seasons and sites, with the dry season having higher arthropod diversity in northeast side while the rainy season had a more pronounced increase in northwest site. We recommend future studies to establish a list of arthropod bioindicators of land use change and the use of participatory governance for effective management of Rugezi marshland.