Jalapão now largest protected area in Brazil's Cerrado

With an area close to 3 million hectares, Jalapão has become the largest protected region in the Cerrado, Brazil's tropical savanna. Mosaico do Jalapão, as it is officially known, was recognized in a document enacted by the government Friday (Sep. 30), and comprises conservation units in the states of Bahia and Tocantins.

“The biodiversity in the Cerrado is huge, and when these [conservation] units are brought together, they become stronger,” said Rosângela Nicolau, environmental analyst at the Environment Ministry.

Nicolau explained that, in addition to the conservation of biodiversity, the recognition of the area as Mosaico do Jalapão will help the local community and improve sustainable development. She instanced the sustainable management of the golden grass (Syngonanthus nitens), already implemented in the region. The plant is harvested by the local population and used as raw material for traditional arts and crafts. Harvesting and handicrafts represent key alternative sources of income for local communities.

Rosângela Nicolau went on to announce that the region is an integrated and participatory management tool for expanding protection measures in all of its conservation units. “The Mosaico makes it possible to optimize inspection resources and environmental education, which a unit doesn't always manage by itself,” she said.

According to Nicolau, Jalapão sees a lot of pressure from agribusiness for the expansion of agricultural boundaries and from ecoturism-related activities, which may degrade sightseeing spots when not properly carried out.

Jalapão is Brazil's 15th officially recognized mosaic. A mosaic comprises neighboring and juxtaposed conservation units that are tied to the government or private managers at different levels. The Mosaico do Jalapão is home to the source of tributaries to three major Brazilian drainage basins: Tocantins, Parnaíba, and São Francisco. According to data from the Environment Ministry, scientists from all over the world are drawn to the place by the presence of endangered species, like the Brazilian merganser (Mergus octosetaceus).

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira