Abstract

Although often overlooked, road verges—narrow strips of land flanking highways—can serve a surprisingly vital role in biodiversity conservation and carbon storage, as highlighted in a recent study by Altomare et al. (2025). Focusing on Brazil’s Cerrado biome, one of the world’s most biodiverse tropical savannas, the researchers examined road verges across over 24,500 kilometers of paved roads in the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás.