by Matteo Cavallito<\/p>\n
When we think of carbon<\/strong> sequestration in South America, our minds naturally turn to the Amazon rainforest and its key role in global climate mitigation. Far less attention, however, is typically paid to another ecosystem of crucial importance whose role is still widely underestimated: tropical peatlands<\/strong>. Highlighting their significance in this regard is a recent study<\/a> published in the journal New Phytologist<\/em>, which shows that one of the largest reserves of organic carbon is found today in an often-overlooked tropical savanna: the Cerrado<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Measurements taken during the study, which involved the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies<\/strong> in Millbrook (NY), in the United States, and the Universidade Estadual de Campinas<\/strong>, in Brazil, revealed an average carbon concentration per hectare far higher than that found in the biomass of the world\u2019s largest tropical forest.<\/p>\n