Áreas Prioritárias para Ações de Conservação de Água no Bioma Cerrado: uma avaliação em múltiplas escalas

Priority areas for water conservation actions in the Cerrado Biome: a multi-scale assessment Abstract This report articulates the hydrological functioning of the Cerrado Savanna Biome, its essential mechanisms of infiltration and flow regulation, and presents the Priority Areas for Water Conservation (APCAC). Part 1 reviews the foundations underpinning the biome’s “subsurface water tank,” highlighting the decisive role of hillslopes, plateaus, and soil structure in converting rainfall into water storage, as well as the importance of topography and metrics such as the Height Above the Nearest Drainage (HAND) for identifying zones with greater infiltration potential. Part 2 presents empirical evidence obtained from a quasi-paired arrangement of eight catchments in the Federal District, revealing that more conserved catchments produce up to four times more water during the dry season and that a topographic threshold with HAND around 11.5 m separates areas prone to saturation from those with higher natural infiltration potential. Part 3 applies the APCAC method to the Cerrado Biome, showing that geology—especially the Urucuia and Parecis aquifers—structures the regional pattern of hydrological relevance, while the greatest risks are concentrated in Matopiba (anthropization) and in the Southeast (erosion). The integration of these results demonstrates that protecting hillslopes, restoring soils, reducing hydrological connectivity, and incorporating high-resolution metrics into territorial planning are indispensable conditions for ensuring water security in the Cerrado.