By Ana Mano

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Clearing land for agricultural use in Brazil’s Cerrado tropical savanna region causes drier weather conditions that ultimately hurt soybean yields, according to the findings of a new study released on Monday.

The study, which was shared first with Reuters, argues that a fall in yields drives farmers to clear even more land, further accelerating degradation of Brazil’s second-largest biome after the Amazon and hampering conservation efforts.

“Our new analysis found that when farmers clear native vegetation for soy, the climate impacts extend far beyond the cleared plots,” Zero Carbon Analytics said in a statement detailing the main findings of the research group’s study.

Brazil’s Cerrado region occupies more than 2 million square kilometers (772,204 squa

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