“Nearly 60,000 hectares of forest was cleared in Brazil’s Cerrado and Amazon in late 2023, with likely ties to the supply chains of some of the world’s largest soy exporters including Bunge and Cargill, a report has found.
The Cerrado is the second-largest Brazilian biome, and one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. Covering 22% of the country, it is home to over 6,000 tree species. However, over the last few years, it has faced increasing rates of land conversion mainly linked to soy and beef production.”
Another new study by scientists from Brazil and Europe published in the journal Diversity and Distribution looked at how man-made climate change could possibly trigger the migration of thousand of plant species in Brazil’s Cerrado.
Cerrado plants and climate change
“A new study by scientists from Brazil and Europe has looked at how warming temperatures might force over 7,000 plant species in the Cerrado to move. Plants, like animals, have a geographical range.
This is the area where the temperature, rainfall, and general conditions make it just right for them to survive and grow. Climate change is messing with those perfect conditions, and plants are feeling the heat – literally.
“Every plant and animal species has a ‘geographical range’ – the area where conditions are suitable for it to live,” said Mateus Silva, from the University of Exeter.
Cerrado ecology
Think of the Cerrado as a smaller, but no less incredible, cousin to the Amazon rainforest. It’s a place packed with roughly 12,000 flowering plant species. From towering trees to delicate orchids, the Cerrado’s plants purify the air we breathe, support vast networks of wildlife, and sustain indigenous communities.
Sadly, this ecological treasure chest is under siege. Relentless conversion for agriculture and cattle ranching has eaten away roughly half of the Cerrado. This destruction doesn’t just mean lost beauty – it unravels delicately balanced ecosystems, jeopardizes countless species, and disrupts the natural services these landscapes provide, like water cycling and climate regulation.
Uphill Cerrado plants due to climate change
As temperatures rise globally, many plants instinctively seek cooler havens at higher altitudes. “As the climate warms, plants’ ranges are shifting, with many species going uphill,” said study co-author Mateus Silva from the University of Exeter.
This uphill migration reveals nature’s resilience – even slow-moving plants adapt to survive. Yet, this strategy has stark limits. Lowland plants may find some refuge uphill, assuming they can move fast enough to keep pace with the changing climate and aren’t blocked by human-made obstacles.
But the climb brings a hidden cost: it squeezes those already at higher elevations. Plants on mountaintops have no escape. As temperatures increase, they face a shrinking world with nowhere left to climb…
Remember, the Cerrado is a remarkable and irreplaceable part of our planet. Its thousands of plant species, some of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world, are in a race for survival. Climate change is pushing them uphill, but human destruction is cutting off their escape route. While the science is important, it’s time to move beyond simply watching and start taking serious action.
The study is published in the journal Diversity and Distributions.”
References
Soy production linked to “shocking” land clearance in Brazil’s Cerrado and the Amazon, study says. Carbon Pulse. March 15, 2024. Available at: https://carbon-pulse.com/269193/
Radwin M. Deforestation from soy shows no sign of stopping in Cerrado, report says. Mongabay News. March 21, 2024. Available at: https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/news.mongabay.com/2024/03/deforestation-from-soy-shows-no-sign-of-stopping-in-cerrado-report-says/amp/
Gajhhiye S. Climate change triggers migration of thousands of plant species. Earth.com. March 25, 2024. Available at: https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-triggers-epic-plant-migration-in-brazils-cerrado/
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