What is the Cerrado in Brazil?
In the heart of Brazil, the Cerrado is the water fountain of the most important rivers in South America: the Tocantins, Paraná-Paraguay, and São Francisco rivers. Scientists also consider the Cerrado to be “the cradle of waters” since it hosts three large aquifers, which are underground water reservoirs.
Why is Brazil’s Cerrado a biodiversity hotspot?
Cerrado’s climate and environmental features, such as the Amazon, the Paraná-Paraguai and the São Francisco rivers’ headwaters (their sources) support the rich biodiversity of the region.
What are the main causes of deforestation in the Cerrado forest in Brazil?
Agricultural expansion is the primary driver of increasing deforestation in the Cerrado. Since agricultural activities expanded in the 1970s, 50 percent of the Cerrado has been lost to agricultural and pasture land primarily for cattle, soy, cotton, corn, and eucalyptus.
Is Mato Grosso in Cerrado?
The Cerrado (Portuguese pronunciation: [seˈʁadu], [sɛˈʁadu]) is a vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil, particularly in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Minas Gerais and the Federal District. The core areas of the Cerrado biome are the Brazilian highlands, the Planalto.
Why is Cerrado important?
Of its more than 11,000 plant species, nearly half are found nowhere else on Earth, and local communities rely on many of them for food, medicine, and handicrafts. The Cerrado is also extremely important as a source of water.
Why is Cerrado in danger?
Habitat Degradation The main threat to biodiversity in the Cerrado is the clearing of land for pasture and monocultures, which involve growing single crops on an industrial scale.
Why is the Cerrado forest threatened?
What is Mato Grosso famous for?
The Xingu Indigenous Park and the Araguaia River are in Mato Grosso. Farther south, the Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland, is the habitat for nearly one thousand species of animals and many aquatic birds….
| Mato Grosso | |
|---|---|
| Country | Brazil |
| Capital and largest city | Cuiabá |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Mauro Mendes (UNIÃO) |
What is happening to Cerrado?
Unsustainable agricultural activities, particularly soy production and cattle ranching, as well as burning of vegetation for charcoal, continue to pose a major threat to the Cerrado’s biodiversity. Despite its environmental importance, it is one of the least protected regions in Brazil.
Is Cerrado part of the Amazon?
Located between the Amazon, Atlantic Forests and Pantanal, the Cerrado is the largest savanna region in South America.