Conservationists in Brazil are working to revive landscapes ravaged by recent wildfires by replanting vegetation. The country's tropical savannah, known as the Cerrado, is Brazil's second largest biome and the world's most biodiverse savannah. But fires fueled by human activity and climate change continue to threaten this important ecosystem.
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00:00bringing Brazil's burnt grasslands back to life.
00:03These conservationists and volunteers
00:05have been replanting vegetation in this national park,
00:08just outside the country's capital, Brasilia.
00:13Ravaged by months of fires, Brazil's savannas,
00:16also known as the Cerrado,
00:18have been experiencing unprecedented weather conditions.
00:30The Cerrado is South America's second largest biome,
00:44second only to the Amazon rainforest,
00:47and it's the most biodiverse savanna in the world.
00:50Many of its plant species are seriously threatened
00:53by the increasing intensity of wildfires.
00:55But with the help of volunteers,
00:57green shoots have already begun sprouting
00:59from previously scorched land.
01:30This region is no stranger to wildfires.
01:35Ecologists say plants here have coexisted
01:37with these blazes for millions of years.
01:40In the past, fires were usually caused by lightning strikes,
01:43but human activity has disrupted the natural balance.
01:47Many fires in recent months have been illegally started
01:49by loggers and miners looking to extract natural resources,
01:53as well as farmers turning wooded areas into pastures.
01:57This has increased the frequency and intensity
01:59of fires.
02:16A few months ago, the Brazilian government declared war
02:19against the blazes,
02:21vowing to protect the country's grasslands and forests.
02:24But as conservationists here in Brasilia
02:26work towards reviving this burnt savanna,
02:29they also warn that if illegal human-caused fires
02:31are left unchecked,
02:33many important ecosystems like this one
02:35may cease to exist.
02:37Howard Zhang and Wesley Lewis for Taiwan Plus.