Deforestation figures for 2021 highlight a concerning crisis in Brazil’s Cerrado, revealing the highest deforestation rate since 2015. This development comes in the wake of another disturbing discovery that deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon hit a 15-year high after a 22% increase from 2020.
The Cerrado, spread across numerous Brazilian states and one of the largest savannas globally, is often referred to as an “upside-down forest”. This term reflects the area’s plant life that sinks deep roots into the ground to survive seasonal droughts and fires. The Cerrado plays a crucial role as a significant carbon sink, helping to combat climate change.
However, the destruction of trees, grasses, and other plant species in the Cerrado is a major contributor to Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions. Despite being less densely forested than the Amazon rainforest, it has seen an 8% increase in deforestation and other clearances, reaching 8,531 square kilometers in the 12 months through July 2021. Many scientists attribute this increase to the government’s pro-development stance, accusing them of encouraging deforestation and weakening environmental enforcement efforts.
Understanding Deforestation
Deforestation refers to the permanent removal of trees to make space for non-forest uses such as agriculture, grazing, or timber for fuel, construction, or manufacturing. Most current deforestation occurs in tropical regions, newly accessible due to the construction of roads through these dense forests.
A 2017 University of Maryland report discovered the tropics had lost about 1,58,000 square kilometers of forest—an area equivalent to Bangladesh. Deforestation in tropical areas can affect water vapor production over the canopy, resulting in reduced rainfall.
Deforestation not only eliminates vegetation critical to removing carbon dioxide from the air, but the very act of clearing forests also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. The losses of biodiversity and animal life are other significant effects.
The Savanna: An Overview
Savannas grow under hot, seasonally dry climatic conditions, characterized by an open tree canopy above a continuous tall grass understory. The most extensive savanna areas are in Africa, South America, Australia, India, the Myanmar–Thailand region in Asia, and Madagascar.
Generally, savannas are found in tropical regions 8° to 20° from the Equator. They experience warm to hot conditions all year round, with significant rainfall for only a few months each year.
Savannas can be sub-divided based on the length of the dry season into wet, dry, and thornbush savannas. Another classification includes savanna woodland, tree savanna, shrub savanna, and grass savanna, reflecting variations in vegetation. Despite these differences, all savannas share some common structural and functional characteristics, often marked by alternating wet and dry seasons.
Vegetation and Fauna of Savannas
The vegetation in the savanna has adapted to survive in environments with little water and high temperatures. Many plants grow rapidly in the wet season, conserving water in the dry period. Some store water in their roots and only produce leaves during the wet season. Fire resistance is another key adaptation due to the frequent fires in these regions.
Common examples of savanna vegetation include wild grasses, shrubs, baobab trees, and acacia trees. The savanna is home to numerous large land mammals such as elephants, giraffes, zebras, and rhinoceroses. Other inhabitants include baboons, crocodiles, antelopes, and various migratory herbivores.
