Brazil has lost 16% of its herbaceous, shrub vegetation in 38 years
Brazil has lost 16 percent of its native non-forest vegetation over the past 38 years, equating to 9.6 million hectares of herbaceous and shrub vegetation cover. This information stems from a pioneering survey conducted by MapBiomas*, on this vegetation, which encompasses small plants lacking woody structures—grasses and herbs—and thin woody trunks, such as shrubs.Native vegetation, in general, covers 64 percent of Brazil's territory, according to the 2022 MapBiomas mapping. Of this total, most corresponds to forests (58%) and a smaller fraction of the territory is occupied by non-forest vegetation (6%). According to the organization, despite being a minority and little valued, non-forest vegetation is very important due to the great diversity of plant and animal species it shelters, and...