Image 1: A Calliandra plant flowering in the Cerrado Savanna
The Amazon Rainforest is the most prolific jungle in the world, known for its incredibly rich and biodiverse biome. Yet our corridor covers another vital biome: The Cerrado Savanna. Whilst lesser known on a global scale, the Cerrado is also one of the most species rich and fundamental biomes on the planet.
The Cerrado covers around 23% of Brazil. It is considered to be the richest savanna in the world. The number of plant species surpasses 11,000, with 4,151 of these being exclusive to this biome alone (Forzza et al. 2012) . This means that around 37% of the plant species found here exist nowhere else in the world.
The climate in the Cerrado is tropical, with annual precipitations generally varying from 1100 mm to 1600 mm. This makes it ample terrain for a variety of species, and it is home to many different forms of vegetation. These differ from open grasslands to forests. It is changes in soil conditions throughout the Cerrado that allows for such biodiversity.
Within the Cerrado are the springs of the three largest hydrographic basins of South America. Thus, the Cerrado provides the beginnings of essential water sources for a large part of the continent. It is therefore critical to keep this biome healthy and alive. Our project ecologically restores the Cerrado, giving it life. This, in turn, can give life back to us all.
Source: Forzza et al. 2012. New Brazilian Floristic List Highlights Conservation Challenges. Bioscience 62: 39-45.
