Current Human Impacts

The Farming Impact on the Cerrado
(http://www.economist.com/node/16886442)

Before the 1960s, the Cerrado was not regarded as a valuable region, and was thus ignored for the most part.  Around this time, however, Brazil started building its new capital city, Brasilia. (AgBrazil, 2006).  The construction of Brasilia drew attention to the biodiversity hotspot.  Soon, large agricultural companies began raising livestock in the Cerrado.  In the 1970s, the Cerrado gained more unwanted attention when scientific developments led to more effective ways to grow crops in the somewhat difficult soil. Agriculture became a huge part of life within the Cerrado; large plantations started appearing in the area (AgBrazil, 2006).  Today, this widespread use of the land for agriculture has resulted annual emissions of 250 million tons of CO₂ (WWF, 2011). As scientists managed to develop seeds better adapted for the tropical savannah climate, production skyrocketed - Brazil currently produces large amounts of soybeans.

Charcoalers Old Growth Cerrado Trees Being Burned Down
(http://www.natgeocreative.com/ngs/photography/search/explore.jsf)

According to the WWF, the Cerrado is the second most threatened area in Brazil (WWF, 2013).  A large part of this problem is due to agriculture.  The area has been developed, often using practices of monoculture, where farmers have soy plantations, cattle ranches, and burn sites for charcoal.  Unfortunately, the government of Brazil has done little to protect the region, and has even encouraged development.  Less than 3% of the land is under the protection of the law (WWF, 2013).  In addition, the biodiversity of the region is being depleted.  Currently, a mere 20% of the Cerrado’s vegetation remains (WWF, 2013).

The original vegetation of the tropical savanna is adapted to natural fires.  Currently, however, human-induced fire is often used to clear the land in the Cerrado to make it reusable for agriculture.  This burning creates “new growth,” which is used to feed cattle (WWF, 2010).  According to José Felipe Ribeiro, a Cerrado researcher, these unnatural fires allow non-native vegetation to spread: the wind blows the nutrients of these plants and replaces the nutrients of the native plants that were destroyed because of the fires. (WWF, 2010).

The Cerrado Being Illegally Burned Down for Agriculture
(http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/press_releases/?195997%2FFourfold-increase-in-fires-magnifies-threat-to-Brazils-Cerrado)