Cerrado

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The Cerrado is a huge tropical savanna region in central Brazil, stretching across many states and spilling a little into Paraguay and Bolivia. It covers about 1.9 million square kilometers (roughly 21% of Brazil’s land) and sits mainly on the Brazilian Highlands, called the Planalto. Its landscape is a mosaic of open savannas, wooded savannas, gallery forests along streams, and wetter areas known as wetlands.

Climate and soils
The Cerrado has a warm, tropical climate with two main seasons: a wet season and a dry season. Temperatures average between 22 and 27°C, and rainfall ranges from about 80 to 200 cm per year. The dry season is especially pronounced in the southern part of the region. The soils are well-drained and typically acidic, with relatively low nutrients. Fire is a natural and important part of the Cerrado, helping shape the vegetation and allowing fire-adapted plants to thrive.

Vegetation and biodiversity
The Cerrado is one of the most biodiverse savannas in the world. It hosts about 10,000 plant species and many endemics, plus nearly 200 species of mammals, over 800 bird species, and numerous reptiles, amphibians, and insects. The plant life is highly varied, with different canopy levels—from open grasslands to shrubby woodlands—along with gallery forests that line rivers. There are several well-known vegetation types within the Cerrado, from campo sujo (mostly grasses and small plants) to cerradão (a open forest with higher tree cover). The region’s biodiversity is a major reason scientists consider it an important natural treasure.

People, land use, and threats
About three-quarters of the Cerrado’s land is privately owned. In recent decades, agricultural expansion has transformed large areas into fields for soy, corn, beans, and rice, and cattle ranching has become a dominant land use. The Cerrado now provides a big share of Brazil’s beef and is a major center for grain and coffee production. Eucalyptus and pine plantations also grow there for paper and wood products, and charcoal is produced for industry. This rapid development has led to widespread habitat loss and fragmentation, with concerns about the long-term impacts on water, soil, and biodiversity.

Protection and conservation
The Cerrado is recognized as a crucial, biodiversity-rich ecoregion, but protecting it has been challenging. As of recent years, only a portion of the biome is under formal protection. There are about 560 protected areas (conservation units) in the Cerrado, including two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks. These sites help safeguard important areas representative of the region’s biodiversity.

Conservation units in Brazil fall into two main groups: Integral Protection (IP), which aims to protect nature with restricted use, and Sustainable Protection (SP), which allows some resource use. In the Cerrado, there are many SP units and a growing number of IP units, managed at federal, state, and municipal levels. However, many units lack required management plans or councils, and there is significant overlap where areas are protected by more than one unit. By 2024–2025, estimates suggested only a small fraction of the biome was effectively protected, with most native vegetation remaining on private lands.

Laws and land use rules
Brazil’s Forest Code requires landowners to keep a portion of native vegetation on their property as Legal Reserves (about 20% in most biomes; the Amazon is different). The code has been amended in ways that some say increased the opportunity to clear native vegetation, making compliance and enforcement important. Tools like the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) help monitor lands, and programs encourage restoration and more sustainable farming. Indigenous lands also play a key role in conservation, protecting important habitat and biodiversity while supporting traditional ways of life.

Why it matters
The Cerrado is the second-largest biome in South America and a vital source of water, with headwaters feeding several large river systems in the region. It hosts many species found nowhere else and supports essential ecosystem services, including climate regulation, soil health, and water security for Brazil and neighboring countries. Protecting the Cerrado is crucial for biodiversity, the livelihoods of people who depend on its resources, and Brazil’s environmental future.