Protecting forests at the expense of native grasslands: Land-use policy encourages open-habitat loss in the Brazilian cerrado biome

A study reveals a significant bias in land-use policies within the Brazilian Cerrado biome, favoring forest protection over native grasslands. Researchers found that private Legal Reserves (LRs) contain 7.26 hectares of forest for every hectare of grassland, nearly three times more than formal protected areas and Indigenous Lands. Indigenous Lands protect six times more grassland in absolute terms compared to protected areas. The analysis, conducted across 48,762 landholdings in Mato Grosso state, suggests that economic decision-making drives this imbalance, potentially threatening the biodiversity of open habitats within private properties, which cover 90% of the Cerrado biome.

Bonanomi, J., Tortato, F. R., Gomes, R. d. S. R., Penha, J. M., Bueno, A. S., & Peres, C. A. (2019). Protecting forests at the expense of native grasslands: Land-use policy encourages open-habitat loss in the Brazilian cerrado biome. Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation, 17(1), 26–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecon.2018.12.002