Agricultural Expansion in the Brazilian Cerrado: Increased Soil and Nutrient Losses and Decreased Agricultural Productivity

Agricultural expansion in the Brazilian Cerrado, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks, is significantly increasing soil loss, nutrient depletion, and reducing agricultural productivity. Research using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model and GIS analysis found that annual soil loss rose from 10.4 to 12.0 Mg ha−1 yr−1 between 2000 and 2012, while severely eroded areas lost 13.1 to 25.9 times more nutrients than less affected regions. The study highlights the urgent need for sustainable soil management policies in this critical agricultural region.

Gomes, L., Simões, S., Dalla Nora, E., de Sousa-Neto, E., Forti, M., & Ometto, J. (2019). Agricultural Expansion in the Brazilian Cerrado: Increased Soil and Nutrient Losses and Decreased Agricultural Productivity. Land, 8(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/land8010012