Themed
Territories
“Ser do Cerrado, literally to be from the Cerrado, means to go back to the origins of mankind. The human animal came to this planet in savannah landscapes. […]
The pleasure that the human animal feels when in the vastness of a field, of a savannah, is an ancestral thing, which brings peace of mind, security, well-being.”
The pleasure that the human animal feels when in the vastness of a field, of a savannah, is an ancestral thing, which brings peace of mind, security, well-being.”
Giselda Durigan, forest engineer and PhD in Plant Biology
Biodiversity and resistance are two words that distinguish the Cerrado.
Throughout this territory, we will walk through the beauty of the ipê and bromeliads, taste the unique flavor of the pequi and guava, and warn about the importance of preserving endangered species.
Second largest in the country and in Latin America, the Cerrado is also known as the ‘Brazilian savannah’ and is considered a global hotspot, because it faces a high degree of biodiversity threat.
1/4
of the Brazilian territory is covered by Cerrado
57%
of the land in Minas Gerais
About
30%
of the species identified in Brazil are found in the Cerrado
Richest tropical savannah in terms of biodiversity on the planet.
+ more than
12 thousand
plant species
10 thousand
species of butterflies and moths
800
species of fish
837
birds
227
mammals
Eight out of the twelve main hydrographic regions in Brazil have their sources in the Cerrado.
The São Francisco basin – which is born in the Serra da Canastra (MG) and ‘hits the middle of the sea,’ in the Atlantic Ocean – has 94% of its water production dependent on the waters of the Cerrado.
The Cerrado is born and dies of fire.
From natural to criminal fires, the biome reinvents itself and resists.
It is the second Brazilian biome most altered by human occupation.
46.3% of the Cerrado area has already been converted into plantations, pastures, roads, hydroelectric plants, and cities.
The Cerrado concentrates 60% of the Brazilian annual agricultural production.
The biome, which would be the world’s food basket, has been transformed into a testing ground for large scale agriculture.
Instituto Inhotim is located at the crossroads between the Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest.
Certified by Botanic Gardens Conservation International, the Botanical Garden’s has a relevant role as a research center for the conservation of this biome and the propagation of species.
The Inhotim Botanical Garden, with more than 140 hectares of area and 250 hectares of Inhotim Private Natural Heritage Reserve, is a platform for research, environmental education, as well as in situ and ex situ conservation actions – both inside and outside its natural environment, with the Viveiro Educador, the cataloging of species, the Meliponário, waste management, and many other actions.
This is an invitation for you to travel the paths of the Cerrado at Inhotim: get to know the species and the stories rooted in this biome.
The Cerrado has only 8% of its territory protected by conservation units.
Brazilian plants that have never been researched. A vegetation that resisted gold and diamond exploitations. A rare orchid that grows from the rock... Have you ever stopped to think how much research this enormous biodiversity can provide? How many seedlings can be generated, protected, and reproduced to preserve endangered species?
In this episode of the Behind the Scenes series, you can see for yourself the work that is done by the Inhotim Botanical Garden team. Species rescued from Mendanha, a district of Diamantina (MG) – an area where endemic, rare, or threatened plants occur.
With more than 4,000 botanical species, the Inhotim botanical collection holds thousands of species native to the Cerrado.
To get to know them is to understand this dimension and how they are part of our daily lives, as well as to visualize the steps so that you, too, can conserve them.
To get to know them is to understand this dimension and how they are part of our daily lives, as well as to visualize the steps so that you, too, can conserve them.
Did you hear the buzzing sound?
The Cerrado is the refuge of 13% of butterflies and 35% of bees – both important pollinators of the native flora – and of 23% of termites – important in the composition and functioning of soils.
Stingless bees are the main pollinators of the native flora. Even though they play such a relevant role, they are under strong threat.
Meliponiculture contributes to the balance of biomes and spreads knowledge about the diversity of native bees and the importance of protecting them.
The sertão is a world, but a world inside the Cerrado.
You have crossed important paths through the Cerrado, visited the birthplace of most of the country's water resources, discovered new species, and remembered those that were part of your childhood.
Within the publication: Ser do Cerrado: Saberes e diversidades nos jardins do Inhotim, specialists, academics and the Inhotim Botanical Garden team approach the Brazilian biome in different perspectives.
Protecting the Cerrado is recognizing the richness and importance of this biome, Brazil's territory and source of biodiversity.
