Ahead of print

Wildfires in Brazil cause billion-dollar losses, harming biodiversity, health, and the economy.

Wildfire spreads toxic smoke across South America, straining the healthcare system.

Wildfires cause massive biodiversity loss, and we barely know how to measure it.

Despite substantial economic losses in tropical habitats, the Global South remains a low priority.

Non-floodplain wetlands form where groundwater emerges to the surface, forming seeps.

Cerrado’s non-floodplain wetlands are key for regional and continental water security.

Brazil faces challenges to identify and protect diffuse seeps in wetlands.

Despite existing legal protection, Cerrado diffuse seep wetlands face severe threats.

Science-policy alignment is key to protecting non-floodplain wetlands effectively.

Ecosystem function depends on species diversity; effects of species loss on functionality remain unclear.

Over 65% of functional diversity in Asia, Europe, and America comes from threatened species.

Ecosystems with species at high risk are highly vulnerable to ecological meltdown.

Ecological meltdown collapse could drastically affect human lifestyles and global environmental systems.

Natural fires shape local environment and its biota.

Small-bodied mammal assemblages tend to homogenization in response to prolonged natural fire absence.

Big-fires are arguably disastrous, but the absence of natural fires reassembles the biotas.

Further technical discussions about fire management in Cerrado are needed.