The Transcerrado project reaches its fourth edition this year. The expedition covers 420 kilometers, between the 25th and 29th of July, by bicycle, to assess the conditions of the Brazilian Cerrado.
In an interview with CNN Radio the senior researcher at the Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia (IPAM), Paulo Moutinho, explained that “science on two wheels” is very much based on contact with the local population.
“The idea is not only to carry out mapping and conservation surveys, such as the volume of fire in the region, how much of the Cerrado has disappeared, but to talk to people.”
At the end of the route, a report will be produced: “We hope it helps in conservation. We already lost half of the biome.”
In the researcher’s assessment, in addition to public policies, a “decision by Brazilian society is needed to preserve what remains of the Cerrado.”
He believes that “the great policy” is to reconcile the two worlds of preservation and economic development.
“We need a policy not only for preservation, but also for development, including economic ones, there is a huge potential for tourism. The policy needs to move away from typical land uses such as livestock and agriculture, which should be given incentives, but the other parties should be incentivized as well.”
Paulo Moutinho defended “production with conservation”, since the region has 8 large water basins that are born there: “If we lose, we will have serious problems with supply, energy generation and drinking water”.
*With production by Isabel Campos
Source: CNN Brasil
