The Cerrado – Brazil’s savanna deserves protection
Wednesday 26 Aug 2020
This article explains how the Cerrado, the world’s most biodiverse savanna, has been neglected in part due to being overshadowed by its charismatic neighbour – the Amazon rainforset. In fact, the Cerrado is invaluable:
- Its deep soil holds water from the wet season, feeding into eight watersheds which together provide 40% of Brazil’s freshwater
- It is a critical carbon store, 2/3 of which lies underground, in the >25m deep soil and the tree roots within
- It holds ~5% of the world’s biodiversity, with 40% of its species being endemic
Unlike the rainforest, fire plays a vital part in the life cycle of Cerrado plant species, meaning some fire is necessary to maintain high biodiversity.
Unfortunately the Cerrado is being converted to farmland at a devastating rate. It’s importance as an ecosystem needs to be globally recognised so that it receives the protection and management it deserves.
Read the full Landscape News article here.
