T. Ganesh, Ankila Hiremath, Arjun Kannan, Sarala Khaling, Iravatee Majgaonkar, Seshadri K. S.

Plants, People, Planet | January 15, 2025

Tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas have historically been neglected in global and local conservation policies. As a result, nearly half of their coverage has been lost. In 2023, the world’s most biodiverse savanna (Brazilian Cerrado) lost 1.110.326 ha, increasing the rate of land conversion by 67.7% (MapBiomas, 2024). The resulting biodiversity and ecosystem service losses, including the ability to mitigate climate change, are profound and irreversible.