Cerrado: biodiversity and ecosystem services under severe threat by misguided restoration

Cerrado restoration urges caution. 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it!' When mapping, we must clearly separate at different scales: pristine savannas/grasslands, secondary savannas (naturally regenerating), and both from effectively degraded land. Prioritization of restoration should aim at: (i) larger additionality in ecosystem services and biodiversity, (ii) reducing inequalities in native vegetation cover between regions, and (iii) directly benefiting larger human population. Because re-creating fire-resilient Cerrado vegetation with its dynamic structure and huge biodiversity of species and plant forms is still a mirage, finding a way to pause land conversion is urgent. For effectively degraded areas, where restoration is needed, the major restoration goal should be re-establishing savanna vegetation structure and critical ecosystem services.