FACT SHEET The Importance of Brazil’s Cerrado

The Cerrado, Brazil's second largest biome, is a biodiversity hotspot and critical carbon sink that has seen over half of its native vegetation cleared, primarily for soy and cattle production. While the Amazon has seen a decrease in deforestation, the Cerrado has faced increasing pressure, with deforestation rates surpassing the Amazon by 2011. The document highlights the biome's unique underground carbon storage and warns that climate mitigation policies favoring afforestation and fire suppression may inadvertently harm this fire-adapted ecosystem.

• The Cerrado is a critical biodiversity hotspot, containing one of the world's most species-rich tropical savannas, with over 3,000 plant species and more than 100 mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian species found exclusively in the biome.
• More than 50% of the Cerrado's native vegetation has been cleared, mostly since the 1970s. Between 2003 and 2008, this land-use change released 1,449 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent (MtCO2-eq), with over half of the clearance driven by the creation of pasture.
• The Cerrado stores a significant amount of carbon underground in roots and soil, making it more stable than ecosystems that store carbon primarily in aboveground vegetation. Soil carbon estimates range from 97 to 210 tC/ha, while above- and belowground vegetation ranges from 22 to 78 tC/ha.
• Deforestation rates in the Cerrado began to exceed those of the Amazon by 2011. This shift is partly attributed to increased protections in the Amazon, which have pushed conversion pressure toward nearby areas like the Cerrado.
• The cattle industry is a major driver of land use change and emissions; 35% to 55% of Brazil's cattle herd is located in the Cerrado, with approximately 60 million hectares under pasture. Beef production in the region is projected to account for about 9% of Brazil's total emissions between 2010 and 2030.
• Industrial soy production is a primary driver of land conversion, with more than half of Brazil's soybean crop grown in the Cerrado. In the 2013–2014 season, over 17 million hectares were used for soy, corn, and cotton.
• Climate mitigation policies focusing on afforestation and fire suppression may be detrimental to the Cerrado, as it is a fire-adapted landscape. Fire suppression can lead to high-intensity wildfires and allow forests to overtake native grasslands.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). FACT SHEET The Importance of Brazil’s Cerrado. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/11/cerrado-fact-sheet-ucs-october-2016.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. FACT SHEET The Importance of Brazil’s Cerrado. 2016. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/11/cerrado-fact-sheet-ucs-october-2016.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=FACT SHEET The Importance of Brazil’s Cerrado |date=October 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/11/cerrado-fact-sheet-ucs-october-2016.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2016fact, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{FACT SHEET The Importance of Brazil’s Cerrado}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/11/cerrado-fact-sheet-ucs-october-2016.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }