Glossary
Amazon rainforest biome
Area of the Amazon River Basin (definition below) that is dominated by the rainforest. Biomes are defined by communities of plant and animal species which have adapted to particular physical conditions (e.g. climate and soil), within a major ecological area.
Other biomes include tundra, taiga (boreal forest); desert; and tropical rainforest, savannah (grasslands).
Amazon River Basin
Area drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries.
Amazon (Legal)
Administrative area defined by economic purposes, to promote the economic development of the region.
The designation of the Legal Amazon is one of the first measures taken by the Brazilian Government to promote the economic development of the region. Originally established in 1953, the area covers 5,200,000 km², comprising around 61% of the Brazilian territory. It was modified by the military regime in 1966 in order to stimulate the development of the states located in the northern part of the country.
The plan was that the development of the region would be achieved through the establishment of private companies – initially cattle and agriculture, and mining companies afterwards – attracted by the fiscal advantages offered by the government.
At the time, the military development plan also included the construction of roads such as the Trans-Amazon and Perimetral Norte – to export the production and promote the installation of settlements along roads. Cities such as Altamira and Anapu, where the activist Sister Dorothy Stang was murdered in February 2005, were established in the early 1970s.
The critical social and environmental problems the region faces today are a consequence of these policies.
Note: Compared to the Amazon biome, the Legal Amazon also encompasses savannas and ecotones (transitional areas between ecosystems, e.g. rainforest and savanna).
Cerrado
The cerrado is South America's largest savanna region. This vast area, almost 200,000 km² in size, constitutes one of the largest savanna-forest complexes in the world. An enormous diversity of plants and animals are found there, but these are increasingly threatened - especially by expanding soy plantations.
Cerrado definition on Wikipedia
Description of Cerrado Woodlands & Savannas ecoregion from WWF
Area of the Amazon River Basin (definition below) that is dominated by the rainforest. Biomes are defined by communities of plant and animal species which have adapted to particular physical conditions (e.g. climate and soil), within a major ecological area.
Other biomes include tundra, taiga (boreal forest); desert; and tropical rainforest, savannah (grasslands).
Amazon River Basin
Area drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries.
Amazon (Legal)
Administrative area defined by economic purposes, to promote the economic development of the region.
The designation of the Legal Amazon is one of the first measures taken by the Brazilian Government to promote the economic development of the region. Originally established in 1953, the area covers 5,200,000 km², comprising around 61% of the Brazilian territory. It was modified by the military regime in 1966 in order to stimulate the development of the states located in the northern part of the country.
The plan was that the development of the region would be achieved through the establishment of private companies – initially cattle and agriculture, and mining companies afterwards – attracted by the fiscal advantages offered by the government.
At the time, the military development plan also included the construction of roads such as the Trans-Amazon and Perimetral Norte – to export the production and promote the installation of settlements along roads. Cities such as Altamira and Anapu, where the activist Sister Dorothy Stang was murdered in February 2005, were established in the early 1970s.
The critical social and environmental problems the region faces today are a consequence of these policies.
Note: Compared to the Amazon biome, the Legal Amazon also encompasses savannas and ecotones (transitional areas between ecosystems, e.g. rainforest and savanna).
Cerrado
The cerrado is South America's largest savanna region. This vast area, almost 200,000 km² in size, constitutes one of the largest savanna-forest complexes in the world. An enormous diversity of plants and animals are found there, but these are increasingly threatened - especially by expanding soy plantations.
Cerrado definition on Wikipedia
Description of Cerrado Woodlands & Savannas ecoregion from WWF
