Abstract
AbstractThe Brazilian Cerrado, one of the most threatened biomes of our planet, illustrates the challenges and opportunities of reconciling economic development with conservation of land and water ecosystems. Here, we assess the state of the art of and present new information on the impacts of agricultural expansion, dams, and water use, and make recommendations for basin management, conservation, and restoration of water‐related Cerrado ecosystems and rivers. The conservation of the Cerrado requires not only the preservation of remnants of its vegetation but also the ability to keep the hydro‐geomorphological and ecological functionality of its rivers, particularly the Araguaia River, the last large well preserved and unregulated system. If business as usual continues, the Cerrado riverine ecosystems may never rebound.
Highlights
Rivers, floodplains, and riparian forests provide freshwater, land, and energy that propels economic development and sustain human life worldwide
Identifying major threats and proposing conservation insights is crucial for achieving water resource governance, and conservation in regional hotspots of freshwater diversity
The Cerrado biome is strategic for water resources because it contains the headwaters and the largest portion of South American watersheds and the upper catchments of large Amazon tributaries, such as the Xingu and Tapajós (Figure 1)
Summary
Fostering water resource governance and conservation in the Brazilian Cerrado biome. Edgardo M. Funding information Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Grant/Award Numbers: 2011/23419-1, 2016/07246-3; National Science Foundation, Grant/Award Numbers: FESD-1338694 , NSF-1617413; University of Texas at Austin, Grant/Award Number: LILLASMellon and Raymond Dickson Endowment; Earth Observatory of Singapore-EOS-NTU; Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF)/Cerrado Knowledge Platform, Grant/Award Number: #103768; CAPES Foundation; Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development-CNPq; FAPESP, Grant/Award Numbers: 2016/07246-3, 2011/23419-1; LLILASMellon; NSF grant, Grant/Award Numbers: NSF-1617413, FESD-1338694
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