Water conservation across the Cerrado biome

Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Where should water conservation efforts focus in Brazil's largest savanna?

A multi-scale hydrological assessment of the Cerrado biome identifying priority areas for water conservation — from hillslope infiltration dynamics to regional aquifer recharge — and translating the findings into a territorial planning framework to guide public policy.

Riparian wetland in the foreground with elevated plateaus rising in the background — the same landscape mosaic that defines where infiltration happens and where it doesn't. — © Luiz Flamarion

Context

The Cerrado is the most biodiverse savanna on Earth and the headwater of three of South America’s largest river systems — São Francisco, Paraná, and Araguaia. Its hydrology is governed by a sharp seasonal regime: a concentrated wet season followed by a long dry period in which rivers depend almost entirely on groundwater discharge to keep flowing. That mechanism hinges on how much rainfall actually infiltrates into the soil rather than running off. Land use is the control valve of the system.

Watershed on Iporã Brito Possantti

Water conservation across the Cerrado biome

Context