Neotropical Savanna Transformation Studies from a Systematic Review

183 publications were manually reviewed to create a curated database of 77 studies on Neotropical savanna transformation. The dataset, compiled by Sara Quintero-Carrillo, reveals the most studied transformation is fire regime modification, followed by exotic grasses and timber plantations. The research output is geographically biased, with most studies conducted in Brazil, especially São Paulo.

Use Cases

• Analyzing research trends and knowledge gaps in Neotropical savanna transformation based on the systematic review methodology.
• Mapping the geographical distribution of research output based on the described bias towards Brazil.
• Identifying primary drivers of biome change based on the described focus on fire regimes, exotic grasses, and timber plantations.
• Supporting conservation policy and research prioritization based on the identified future research directions.

Strengths

• Dataset is based on a systematic review of 183 publications, providing a curated foundation.
• The 77 included studies were manually reviewed, ensuring a defined scope.
• File is openly available under a CC-BY-4.0 license, facilitating reuse.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data reflects a strong geographical bias towards Brazil, as noted in the description.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Literature search via SCOPUS, supplemented with ResearchRabbit, followed by manual screening and review.

Time Range

Temporal trends of research output are analyzed, but the specific date range of included studies is not provided.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-04 14:40:05; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Neotropical savannas, with a noted concentration of studies in Brazil, particularly São Paulo.