Threats to the Cerrado

Vast expanses of continuous Cerrado are gradually becoming fragmented areas, and if not, they give way to cities, pastures, and large monocultures. These landscapes, once teeming with biodiversity—with twisted trees, exotic flowers, colorful and flavorful fruits, and rich cultural and social richness—are gradually transforming into monochromatic fields, with significant social and environmental impacts.

This image reflects the transformation of the richness of the Brazilian Cerrado. The country's most threatened biome—the most biodiverse savanna on the planet—has been brutally devastated by various factors, such as the expansion of agriculture, the installation and operation of hydroelectric dams, hunting and capture of animals, urban expansion, mining, pollution, and the predatory extraction of flora species.

Embrapa data from 2007 states that, until that period, the biome's natural vegetation cover was 60,5%, distributed quite unevenly. In other words, the further south, especially towards the state of São Paulo, the more degraded areas there are, while the northern portion is more preserved, either due to limited access or its distance from major urban centers.¹

It's worth mentioning that the number of deforested areas in the biome increases annually. From 2001 to 2019, deforestation was recorded across more than 283 km² of the Cerrado. In 2019 alone, 6,5 km² were deforested. The states with the highest deforestation rates during this period were Tocantins, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, and Bahia, accounting for more than 70% of the increases². The reasons for this worrying situation are primarily related to the expansion of agribusiness and predatory land use. Grain production, such as soybeans, and livestock farming are identified as the main activities responsible for deforestation. To understand the scale of the problem, approximately half of the original Cerrado area has given way to planted pastures, annual crops, and other uses. Almost 42% of the biome has been converted to pasture, and approximately 18 million hectares of Cerrado have been converted to agricultural land³.

Coincidence or not, the states with the highest deforestation increase in 2019 (except Mato Grosso and including Piauí) are part of the so-called Matopiba region.⁴ The acronym for each state—Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia—gave the name Matopiba, whose development plan was officialized by Decree No. 8.447 of May 6, 2015.⁵ It is considered the current major agricultural frontier, accounting for the majority of the country's grain and fiber production. In addition to the impact of agricultural practices themselves, this expansion is criticized for the socio-environmental complexity of the area, as it encompasses 46 conservation units, 35 indigenous lands, and 781 agrarian reform settlements.⁴

Furthermore, there is deforestation for charcoal production. Unlike in industrialized countries, this practice remains widespread in Brazil, and not only with reforested wood, as approximately 50% of the wood comes from native forests, especially from Cerrado areas. In Brazil, charcoal production is mostly for domestic consumption, driven by the steel industry. Data from 2005 indicate that of a total of 5,5 million tons of charcoal produced in the country, 35,5% came from native vegetation in the biome.⁶

Eucalyptus and pine monocultures also threaten life in the Cerrado.⁷ This is the result of a policy of encouraging large-scale "reforestation" initiated in the 60s, which many states within the biome benefited from, especially in the northern region of Minas Gerais. Used in the steel industry, pulp and paper manufacturing, and the furniture industry, these species are highly productive and, therefore, require greater water and nutrient inputs, potentially affecting the water table, drying up springs and significantly reducing biodiversity. Furthermore, there is the socio-environmental impact of these monocultures, as many of these "reforestation" areas were implemented without considering environmental specificities and local communities, including traditional populations and Indigenous peoples.

Another risk factor for the biome is wildfires, which have been a natural part of the Cerrado's ecology for thousands of years. However, with human occupation, they began to be used as a tool for hunting and soil management⁸, used for deforestation, pasture formation, and crop planting. However, they often get out of control, altering their natural occurrence in the biome and negatively impacting biodiversity in the short and long term. According to data from INPE⁹, in 2019, nearly 1,5 million fires were detected in the biome, mostly in the states of Tocantins (23,1%), Maranhão (19,1%), and Matogrosso (18,4%).

The impact of all these threats directly causes the fragmentation and degradation of ecosystems, a decrease in the biodiversity of fauna and flora, invasion of exotic species, a decrease in the quality and quantity of their water, degradation of springs, soil erosion, interference in the livelihoods of local communities, indigenous peoples and traditional populations that live there, in addition to contributing to the emission of greenhouse gases and, consequently, to climate change.

In 2003, the Brazilian government published a list of endangered Brazilian flora species, 132 of which occur in the Cerrado. As mentioned in the section on floraDue to the biome's peculiarities, there is a high degree of endemism (species that exist only in that region), which poses a greater risk to its biodiversity. On the other hand, exotic plants, such as some African grasses (fat grass, andropogon, and brachiaria), are spreading uncontrollably in place of native species.

According to the Red Book of Brazilian Wildlife Threatened with Extinction¹⁰, the Cerrado is the biome with the second highest number of endangered fauna species, second only to the Atlantic Forest. 288 endangered species have been identified in the biome, including the hyacinth macaw, the maned wolf, and the giant anteater.

Those who end up feeling these impacts most closely are certainly the peoples of the CerradoLocal communities and indigenous peoples, although they play an important role in protecting biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem services, face many challenges in maintaining their livelihoods and perpetuating their culture. Imagine what is already happening: traditional populations and indigenous peoples, whose livelihoods, production methods, and survival depend directly on the biome's resources, many of whom still lack secure land tenure, are pressured by the expansion of agribusiness, real estate speculation, and land grabbing, generating numerous conflicts, land expropriation, natural resource scarcity, and, consequently, poverty, disease, and social problems.

Certainly, the heart of Brazil, from which biodiversity and water pulse for all of Brazil, is gravely threatened. More than conservation, it is urgent to restore what has already been devastated, to act against all these threats, to ensure the means to strengthen the peoples of the Cerrado, its true guardians, acting to ensure the biome's sustainable development. Otherwise, we will likely see dire consequences throughout the country and for generations to come.