The Brazilian environment is divided into six biomes, groups of plant and animal life with traits specific to each region. According to the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (Icmbio), the organization responsible for protecting and monitoring Brazil’s conservation areas, the Cerrado is the second largest area, spanning close to 25% of the entire Brazilian territory. To learn more about this biome, junior reporter Marc K., aged 8, spoke to Guarino Colli, a researcher at Universidade de Brasília (UnB) and coordinator of Rede Biota Cerrado, a biome research group.

Have you enjoyed studying animals and plants since you were a child? When did you decide to become a biologist?

I’ve liked animals since I was very young. In the house where I lived with my parents, there was a very big yard, and I loved climbing trees. And there were also many animals, many insects that appeared there. And I had an insect collection. Afterwards, I began to enjoy it even more, both in high school as well as in college.

What exactly is the work of the Biota Cerrado Network?

The network is a group of people, some live here in Brasília, others in São Paulo, Rio, Piauí, Mato Grosso… And most of them are teachers and university professors. There are also many students who are still learning. We all enjoy working with the biota [set of living beings] of the Cerrado. So we decided to work together, to study the animals and plants of the Cerrado, because it is different. There are things that can only be found here. And, nowadays, people are planting a lot here to produce food, like soybeans, to sell to other countries. And when they do that, plants and animals begin to disappear. There are species of plants and animals that are almost becoming extinct. So, we are very concerned with the conservation of the Cerrado, so that everyone can get to know it.

What are the biggest challenges?

For work, we have to travel a lot. So, we have to have a car, a computer, money for gas, for camping, for food. All of this requires a lot of money. And our biggest challenge is getting the money to do all these things, you know?

Is there anything we can do to help?

Yes, there is! The hardest thing, when we’re at school, is talking to people, you know? Because everyone thinks that scientists only work in labs and can’t really talk to people properly. So, it’s really cool when we talk to people, because we find out about what society needs. For example, I study frogs and snakes. Then, I think, “What would Mark like to know about these animals?”

Which are the main Cerrado-specific animals and plants?

There are many species here, and almost half of them are found only in the Cerrado. Have you ever heard of pequi? It is a tree that bears fruit with yellow seeds. Everyone here eats pequi with savory food. There is the maned wolf, it does not live in a group (pack) like the wolf found in other countries, it operates alone. There are also many frogs and snakes here. There is a lizard called tegu which, here in the Cerrado, is red.

Are there any endangered animals in the Cerrado? Which ones?

There are many animals like that, one of them is the maned wolf. There is also the anteater, which is endangered because it cannot run much. Sometimes, people set fi re to the Cerrado, and the anteater cannot escape. There are species that are at risk because they live in a small, unique place. In the Cerrado, there are the Chapadas, which are like mountains that, over time, stopped being pointy and became flat. These are places that have many species that only live there and are isolated.

What advice would you give children who are thinking about becoming biologists?

My tip would be to go to the woods a lot, walk a lot, go hiking, walk in the forest, look at the animals and plants and take photos. Because that is how we become curious, and curiosity is cool, because it helps us learn many things.

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