E-mail your questions about the Cerrado and general botany questions to the staff of Jardim Botanico.
video by Michael Wilkinson
Hummingbird pollinating a cactus flower in the Jardim's greenhouse.
Amazonia The Amazon region is the most known internationally, and has, of course an outstanding biodiversity. In one tree alone, one can find more than 40 species of ants. So little is known about this ecosystem, despite the many studies. It is fragile ecosystem with a poor soil and a complex system that nurishes itself. The Amazon, contrary to what is normally thought, is not a homogenous ecosystem. Many species (the majority not studied at all, and many never even classified) exist only in a specific area - they are endemic to these areas. That is why we are so concerned with the appropriate measure of conservation. Protected areas need to be representative of many geographical regions in order to protect the largest possible number of species. As to the pressures, there are many that are caused by poor local people who are destroting because of survival. But most is done by big companies, many multinationals, that are only interested in short term prophits. There is still a great deal of smugglig going on, as is the case with the mahogany, one of Brazil's best woods, very appreciated for furniture. Mahogany is smuggled out of the country and sold to Japan, UK and, the US, among other 1st world countries. The best thing that could happen is if the commerce of mahogany could be forbidden (as happened in the past with furs).
Caatinga Well, let's travel to the Northeast. There is an ecosystem there called Caatinga, with arid looks, and for that reason, it was never really valued and was mostly destroyed. Only about 3% of the Caatinga is left today.
Cerrado Still with an arid climate is the Cerrado, located in the central plateau of the country. It was also not valued as an ecosystem, and was not even included in our recent constitution (late 1980s) as an ecosystem to be protected. Despite this lack of interest, many researchers have recently begun to study and fight for the protection of the Cerrado, for they have recognized the incredible biodiversity found in this ecosystem. Recent estimates have concluded that one third of the species found in Brazil are from the Cerrado. If one considers that Brazil can host up to half of all species found in the planet, one can easily see the value of the Cerrado and of fighting for its protection.The Cerrado has at least 6 seasons per year, with flowers year round. The seasons are mainly related to the amount of rainfall, and it never gets very cold).
Pantanal Another ecosystem of a breathtaking beauty is the Pantanal. It is the opposite of the Cerrado in terms of water. For a period of the year, it floods. As it is a savannah type of vegetation, it is easy to see animals in the Pantanal. Bird nests are plentiful and the sky can be easily scattered with different colors or with flocks of the same color.
Atlantic Forest Finally, the Atlantic Forest is probably the oldest in geological terms of the Brazilian ecosystems. That is one of the reasons it has such a fascinating biodiversity. Like the Amazon, it also has a regional diversity and that is why what is left needs so desperately to be protected. The difficulty in achieving protection is because most of the population inhabits this strip of land that used to be contiguous along the Brazilian coast. Now less than 10% of the original forests are left and much is highly fragmented. Many scientists and conservation groups are doing their best, however, to save and protect these forests. It is in the Atlantic Forest that the four species of lion tamarins are found, each in a different region. As the lion tamarins, there are other animals that also depend on a specific area of forest to survive.
Araucaria Forest There are other ecosystems, such as the Araucaria Forest a Brazilian pine species. It is located in the South but unfortunately it is mostly gone. The Araucaria depends on a specific bird species to disperse its seeds and the bird was highly hunted and the forest highly cut. But, conservationists are working hard to protect what is left and to regenerate the forests of Araucaria.
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E-mail your questions about the Cerrado and general botany questions to the staff of Jardim Botanico.