By Lucas Guaraldo*
Preserving the Cerrado goes beyond controlling greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation and requires attention to the biome’s role in producing water, food and other ecosystem services, warns Ane Alencar, Science Director at IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute). The scientist took part on Saturday 13th in the presentation “No Cerrado, no climate: what we take to COP 30”, held during the 11th Meeting of the Peoples of the Cerrado, in Brasilia.
“Deforestation in the Cerrado goes beyond carbon. We need to situate the biome in the national context and understand that the Brazilian population depends on the water and food produced there. That’s why it’s essential to discuss the Cerrado as an ecosystem entity whose preservation is of immense value to Brazil, even though emissions from the Amazon are higher,” said Ane.
Less than three months before COP 30, which promises to bring Belém and the Amazon to the center of the global climate debate, the Cerrado is still suffering from the advance of deforestation. Despite its importance for Brazil and for global biodiversity, the biome remains under-represented in national policies and on the international climate agenda.
“I hope we can show at the COP that society wants something different. I think that’s the most powerful message from Belém. We have to prepare ourselves as people of the Cerrado, as people of the savannah, for this to happen. We need to work well on the message that the biome is fundamental for Brazil,” added Alencar.
Since 1985, according to data from the MapBiomas Network, of which IPAM is a member, the Cerrado has lost 40 million hectares of native vegetation, making it one of the main vectors of Brazilian greenhouse gas emissions. Private rural areas accounted for 72% of all deforestation in the biome in the period, which has already accumulated more than 14 million hectares of degraded pastures, an indication of the inefficient use of the land.
In the same period, almost half of the biome was burned at least once, surpassing the mark of 89 million hectares affected by fire. In 2024 alone, more than 9.7 million hectares were burned, an area larger than the state of Santa Catarina. By 2025, even at the beginning of the most intense fire season, fire had already reached 1.2 million hectares. MapBiomas data also indicates that the recurrent use of fire is responsible for 58% of the area burned on private properties.
Peoples and communities
Another point of attention for the COP, the panelists warned, is to ensure that peoples and communities are heard and included in decision-making that directly affects their territories. For Samuel Caetano, technical coordinator of the Center for Alternative Agriculture in Northern Minas Gerais and a member of the Cerrados Network, respect for the rights of communities is the first step in any environmental decision.
“How can we promote climate mitigation and adaptation without demarcating territories? How can we talk about climate justice without talking about territorial justice? What we need to take away from this COP, and what could be our great legacy, is the connection between the peoples of the savannah. That will be our positive outcome. We need to be united so that we are not abandoned at the discussion tables,” he said.
With the acceleration of deforestation in the Cerrado, indigenous and quilombola territories have been increasingly affected by land grabbing and invasion, as well as conflicts related to access to water and mining. In 2024, protected areas in the biome lost 26,97 thousand hectares of native vegetation due to deforestation, according to data from the Annual Deforestation Report.
IPAM journalist, lucas.itaborahy@ipam.org.br*