Nature in Brazil
Brazil is host to more species of wildlife than any other country in the world. This is due in part to the immense area that Brazil covers. There are five different sub-climate regions in Brazil.
The Amazon Rain Forest might be the best known of the geographical regions in Brazil that are home to a vast array of wildlife. It has received so much attention because of its ability to rid us of the greenhouse gases that we produce. Worldwide media has brought the destruction of the rainforest to the forefront and more and more people are trying to do something to save it. The destruction is caused mostly by people that are harvesting the trees of the rainforest and trying to gain farmland for crops and for livestock. The problem is that after an area is cleared it is only productive for a short period of time and then more land needs to be cleared. To get an idea of its size, the rainforest is estimated to be over five million square kilometers in size. Because of its size and the fact that so much of it has been left untouched, it is home to more species than any other place in the world. About one in ten of all species on earth can be found in the Amazon Rainforest.
The Atlantic Forest is not as well known but it is also a very important ecological system. It is also home to an incredible number of different species. Unfortunately, the Atlantic Forest has suffered even worse than the rainforest in terms of the loss of untouched forest as a percentage of the whole. It is generally cooler than the rainforest so while it does not contain as many species as the rainforest the number is still great and there are some that are found in the Atlantic Forest that are not found in the rainforest.
The Cerrado is the largest savanna in the world. It is both the largest savanna area in the world and the most bio-diverse. The savanna does have trees but has a much higher proportion of long grasses and supports different types of wildlife. It was once thought to be very poor land for cultivation but recent innovations in fertilization have made it appealing as an area for raising livestock. This is good for economic reasons, but it also threatens the savanna as an ecosystem.
The Pantanal is a wetland region in Brazil, and is also home to a staggering amount of species, particularly aquatic plants. Most of the wetlands flood during the rainy season, and the plant and animal life there thrive. Many consider it to be as important as the rainforest as far as bio-diversity. It is less likely to be threatened, however because it is difficult to use this land for anything.
The natural landscape of Brazil is amazing and crucial to the planet. It is not only the elimination of greenhouse gases that is at stake but also the preservation of so many plant and animal species. Not much is known about many of these species and some of them might unlock the key to medicines that may one day treat our most feared diseases. The protection and conservation of these rich lands is one of the most important challenges that face our generation.