Whale Mountain

Whale Mountain of the Cerrado region in Brasil

This iconic formation within the Cerrado (pronounced Say-ha-do) is known as Whale Mountain (seen on the far right) located just kilometers from both Alto Paraíso de Goiás and Parque Nacional Chapada dos Veadeiros. The Cerrado is the lesser known and least protected tropical savanna of Brasil that is almost, if not equal, to being as threatened as the very well-known Amazon Rainforest. It encompasses close to one-fourth of the land of Brasil, and became heavily impacted when the capital, Brasilia, was moved further in to encourage growth within the Cerrado as opposed to just the coastline. One of the biggest threats is from soy farmers who wipe out tons of Cerrado land for their farming, leaving one or two single non-native eucalyptus trees among fields of soy. Cattle ranching is second as the biggest threat to this amazing and highly endangered ecosystem.