The Cerrado crisis review: highlighting threats and providing future pathways to save Brazil's biodiversity hotspot

By

Cardoso Pereira, Cássio
Kenedy-Siqueira, Walisson
Maia, Lara Ribeiro
Sperandei, Vinícius F.
Arantes-Garcia, Lucas
Fernandes, Stephannie
Fernandes, Gabriela França Carneiro
De Castro, Gislene Carvalho
Rodrigues, Domingos de Jesus
Salm, Rodolfo
Fearnside, Philip Martin

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2026-1-9

Original Publication

Nature conservation

Volume

61

Pages

29--70

Subjects

Afforestation , Conservation , ecological restoration , Forest Code , hydroelectric dams , Indigenous peoples , threatened species , Wildfires

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers 2012-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.61.168273

 

Abstract

This review raises awareness of the Cerrado’s value to society and serves as an informative guide for ecology professionals, policymakers, and anyone interested in biodiversity conservation. Herein, we comprehensively and critically address the ongoing degradation process of the Cerrado, highlighting its ecological complexity, biological diversity, and strategic importance for environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation in Brazil. We examine the diversity of ecosystems in the Cerrado, highlighting their specific vulnerabilities and the inadequacy of current legal instruments to guarantee their protection. Our analysis covers the main vectors of pressure on the territory, such as the advance of the agricultural frontier, the predatory use of fire, the silent water crisis, and threats to Indigenous peoples, highlighting how these factors operate in an interconnected manner to disrupt the region’s ecosystem services. The limitations of current conservation policies and the invisibility of species and ecosystems in the face of the dominant legal and economic systems are also discussed. Our review proposes ways to mitigate or even reverse this scenario, including increasing the number of Conservation Units and Indigenous lands, valuing regenerative economies, expanding protected areas, and strengthening territorial and climate governance. The defense of the Cerrado is presented here not only as an ecological imperative but as an agenda for environmental justice, water security, and intergenerational responsibility. By integrating data, references, conceptual reflections, and action strategies, we hope to contribute to repositioning the Cerrado at the center of discussions on conservation, climate, and sustainable development.