Mercedes Bustamante is, amongst others, member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, member of the Science Steering Committee of the Science Panel of the Amazon, and lead author of the 6th Assessment Report of the IPCC (Working Group III). Her main research focus area is the Cerrado biome, a tropical savanna with a high biodiversity, Brazil’s second largest ecoregion (after the Amazon). Deforestation rates in Cerrado have increased at alarming rates in the past years, calling for urgent action on protection and recovery of the natural vegetation in this ecoregion.
During her stay at PIK, Mercedes Bustamante collaborates with B-EPICC researcher Sarah Bereswill and Kirsten Thonicke (Ecosystems in Transition, RD1) as well as Jéssica Schüler (PhD student from UnB). The researchers aim to improve the LPJmL(FIT) Dynamic Global Vegetation Model for the Cerrado biome, based on field data collected from a team of the Laboratório de Ecossistemas at UnB (https://bustamantelab.com.br/?lang=en). The model will be applied to provide better understanding of potential future trajectories by simulating the vulnerability of the Cerrado to deforestation scenarios and climate change, but also by assessing the potential for natural recovery of the ecosystem services of this fascinating region.
In case you have any questions or would like to collaborate with Mercedes please feel free to contact epicc@pik-potsdam.de
