Cerrado

The biome has a humid tropical climate, characterized by a dry winter with a dry season lasting about five months and a rainy summer. Relative humidity decreases during the dry season, even reaching levels similar to those in desert regions, with values ​​between 9 and 11%. Rainfall is not uniform throughout the biome, and even during the rainy season, dry spells, known as "veranicos" (veranicos), are common. Average temperatures are high year-round, except in winter, when they can get quite cold. Those who live in the biome experience this variability, marked by droughts and rains, which impact biodiversity, agriculture, and people's quality of life.

In the Brazilian imagination, the predominant image is of sparse vegetation and crooked trees, devoid of beauty, utility, or value—whether social, economic, or ecological.³ However, this biome boasts a variety of landscapes, fauna, and flora, making it one of the world's greatest biodiversity assets. Its plant and animal species have been known for generations for their enormous food, medicinal, and utilitarian potential. Among the approximately 20 million Brazilians living in the region are traditional peoples and communities (indigenous peoples, quilombolas, artisanal fishermen, extractivists, etc.), with centuries of experience in sustainable coexistence with the biome.

The Cerrado is still considered the heart of Brazil not only because of its location but also because of the waters that spring from it and flow into the country's main rivers—hence the name "cradle of waters." The biome is home to several springs and important water recharge areas, playing a fundamental role in the major Brazilian and South American river basins.

Despite its enormous value, the Cerrado is under threat. Rapid deforestation in recent decades for agricultural production, combined with urban expansion, has reduced the biome's vegetation cover to just over half its original size. While it's said that the Cerrado covers two million km², this doesn't mean its entire area is preserved. Quite the opposite—after the Atlantic Forest, the Brazilian savanna is the most threatened national biome.

For years, the Cerrado has been seen merely as a space to be occupied and an agricultural frontier to be conquered. Development without environmental planning, however, leads to unsustainable productivity patterns, degradation and depletion of natural resources, and numerous negative social impacts. A development model that disregards natural resources leads to rural abandonment and threatens the survival of traditional peoples and communities. Considering the biome's importance to Brazilian biodiversity, the people who live there, and the waters that flow from there to the rest of the country, the heart of Brazil increasingly requires care and attention to continue beating.