The Cerrado is a vast tropical savanna, and Brazil’s second largest biome. Known as the Cradle of the Waters, the Cerrado is the source of many of South America’s great rivers and wetlands, and is responsible for a large area of Brazil’s water supply. It is also one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet, housing five percent of the world’s species – including 10,000 species of flora, and over 935 different species of bird.
Once covering 20% of Brazil – an area the size of Europe – the Cerrado, like the Amazon, stores critical amounts of carbon. This carbon sink is vital if we are to keep global warming in check. Less well-publicised than the Amazon, there are few safeguards in place to protect this wonderful biome, and little investments in the charities working to do so.
Over three quarters of the Cerrado has been lost: one and a half million square kilometers cleared to make way for vast cattle ranches and mechanised plantations. The loss of natural vegetation significantly reduces the amount of carbon that can be locked away; whilst the sequestration of water to irrigate plantations has depleted the underlying aquifer.
Luckily, there are organisations working tirelessly to protect and restore this powerful biome. One of those, Rede de Sementes Cerrado, gathers seeds from native species to plant and protect trees, shrubs and grasses, helping to restore the vegetative cover, whilst regreening groundwater recharge zones and replenishing the aquifer.
Rede de Sementes Cerrado desperately requires financial support to continue its work. We have partnered with the organisation, and through our events are raising funds and awareness.