The Campos Sulinos: Introduction to the Book

Brazil’s natural environments include a considerable cover of grasslands and savannas that have high and unique biodiversity. The South Brazilian grassland region (or Campos Sulinos, in portuguese) has received somewhat more attention in science over the past two decades, but remains neglected in conservation. This is especially true for the grasslands themselves that dominate natural landscapes in the Campos Sulinos region and that are currently suffering fast land use change. Clearly, the high biodiversity of South Brazilian grasslands and the important ecosystem services that they provide are not sufficiently considered in conservation politics nor in the public debate. This introductory chapter of the book ‘The South Brazilian grasslands: ecology and conservation of the Campos Sulinos’ presents a short guide through the terminology used for the region and its grasslands, summarizes tendencies of land use change and their consequences, and then provides a short overview of the key content of the different chapters of the book. The Chapter ends with brief comments on research and conservation needs. The future of the Campos Sulinos depends on halting the loss of grassland areas and implementing effective conservation methods.