More than 55% of Cerrado native vegetation already lost, new review reveals

A comprehensive new review synthesizing decades of research warns that the Brazilian Cerrado - a biodiversity hotspot, known for its vast “inverted forests” - is facing a massive, multi-faceted ecological crisis. Published in the journal Nature Conservation, the study reveals that more than 55% of the Cerrado's native vegetation has already been converted, primarily for agricultural expansion over the last five decades. This loss makes the Cerrado, the Eodomain in Brazil, with the highest accumulated destruction of native vegetation.

The Cerrado is often overshadowed by the Amazon, yet it covers 24% of Brazil's national territory and sustains the country's major watersheds and aquifers. One of its most unique features is the "inverted forest". Unlike tropical rainforests that store biomass in high canopies, the Cerrado stores approximately 90% of its carbon belowground through massive, deep root systems, making it a critical regulator of water and a primary carbon sink. However, when the ecosystem is degraded as a result of deforestation, anthropogenic fires, and improper land use, this enormous carbon reservoir is rapidly released, compromising climate stability.

A critical and often overlooked threat is the "trivialization" of fire within the Ecodomain.  While some species are adapted to natural fire cycles, nearly all current fires are human-induced, causing cumulative degradation. “The Cerrado is not a single savanna but an interdependent mosaic of grasslands, savannas, and forests, each with distinct structures, ecological processes, and vulnerabilities.”, say the authors.

Categorizing the Cerrado as a homogenous fire-resistant savanna "invisibilizes" sensitive ecosystems, such as forest patches, the wetlands Veredas, and the montane Campos Rupestres, that are deeply vulnerable to intensifying anthropogenic fires. As these habitats degrade, the "inverted forest’s" massive carbon stores are released, compromising climate stability and accelerating the region’s ecological crisis.

Despite its immense ecological importance, the region is grappling with a "silent water crisis" that endangers Brazil's biodiversity, economy, and climate resilience. Irrigated agriculture, agrochemical contamination, and dam construction are disrupting the natural water balance, leading to reduced river flows and the degradation of essential water-regulating marshland formations like Veredas. Paradoxically, the agribusiness and energy sectors driving this destruction are the most dependent on these dwindling water resources, creating a dangerous cycle of increasing water insecurity.

The review also highlights a troubling pattern of "silent extinctions". While the Cerrado is home to thousands of endemic plants and animals there is a massive gap in how they are monitored, with plants and invertebrates being the most threatened yet least studied.

A critical finding of the research is that current legal protections are insufficient to ensure the Cerrado's ecological resilience. While the Brazilian Forest Code mandates protection, the authors argue that current limits, such as the 20% Reserva Legal requirement, are inadequate for the Cerrado's complex mosaic of grasslands, savannas, and forests. Currently, only 8% of the Ecodomain is covered by Conservation Units, with less than 3% under full protection. One highlight of their work is addressing this gap through providing an unprecedented detailed inventory of all 706 Conservation Units in the Cerrado to serve as a fundamental resource for researchers and policymakers.

“Effective conservation requires recognizing the Cerrado as a biodiversity hotspot with dedicated legal instruments capable of protecting its full ecological heterogeneity.”, the authors say.

To prevent total ecosystem collapse, the researchers advocate for urgent policy reforms, including increasing Reserva Legal requirements to at least 35%, shifting towards regenerative systems and recognizing the rights of Indigenous peoples, whose traditional knowledge has maintained the Cerrado’s balance for millennia.

Original source:

Pereira, C.C., Walisson Kenedy-Siqueira, Maia, L.R., da, V., Arantes-Garcia, L., Fernandes, S., França, G., Carvalho, G., Rodrigues, J., Salm, R. and Fearnside, P.M. (2026). The Cerrado crisis review: highlighting threats and providing future pathways to save Brazil’s biodiversity hotspot. Nature Conservation, 61, pp.29–70. doi: https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.61.168273