The Cerrado is the largest savanna region in South America, but compared to the Amazon Forest to the north, it does not attract much attention. It is home to an incredible diversity of large mammal species, including the jaguar, the endangered maned wolf, the giant anteater, giant armadillo, and marsh deer, as well as more than 10,000 species of plants, almost half of which are found nowhere else on Earth. Despite its importance as a global biodiversity hotspot, it is one of the most threatened and over-exploited regions in Brazil. In fact, today, less than 20 percent of the Cerrado’s original area remains undisturbed and this habitat is at risk of conversion to agriculture, especially for soybean cultivation.
Click here for original story, Protecting a forgotten treasure trove of biodiversity
Source: Phys.org