Ministry of Environment defined the protection of more than 1 million hectares in 3 States
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change announced the selection of 12 priority projects for the creation of federal conservation units in the Caatinga biome, to be implemented by 2026, which will result in the increase of more than one million hectares of protected areas.
The expansion of the Serra das Confusões National Park, in Piauí, is underway; the Açu National Forest, in Rio Grande do Norte; and the Soldadinho-do-Arararipe Wildlife Refuge, in Ceará.
“Science studies are showing us that we already have an increase in areas that were semi-arid and are becoming arid. This is climate change. If we ‘descaating’ the Caatinga, we worsen the problem”, warned the MMA minister, Marina Silva.
The announcement was made in Petrolina, Pernambuco, on June 10, during the launch of the Land, Forest, Water – National Movement to Combat Desertification and Drought campaign.
The initiatives are part of the Climate Mission for the Caatinga, which brought together federal and local governments, in addition to the participation of the executive secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Ibrahim Thiaw, in combating the effects of climate change in the Caatinga, present at 12% of the country’s territory.
Biodiversity
According to data from the MMA, desertification affects 13% of the Brazilian semi-arid region. These are regions where human activity and climate variations have determined the total loss of biodiversity, the ability to offer ecosystem services and even the productive capacity of the soil for food security.
Located entirely in the semi-arid region, the Caatinga only exists in Brazil and is home to a unique biodiversity, with a large number of endemic species, which only occur in the biome. These characteristics – added to the fact that 60% of its territory is occupied by populations – make the native vegetation of this region the most susceptible to climate change, as indicated by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (United Nations). .
Since 2015, Brazil has had a National Policy to Combat Desertification and Mitigate the Effects of Drought, created by law no. 13,153, but in recent years deforestation of the Caatinga has advanced, according to the Mapbiomas Annual Deforestation Report. In 2023, for example, more than 1/5 of deforestation alerts across Brazil were in the biome.
In total, 201,687 hectares of Caatinga were deforested, an increase of 43.3% compared to 2022. The states of Bahia, Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte led the growth in deforestation alerts in the region, but 87% of municipalities in the biome recorded at least one event.
Cisterns
After the resumption of the Cisterns Program last year, the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger announced a pact with the states of the Northeast that will enable local management to contract systems that increase access to water for consumption and production. of food.
The objective, according to MDS Secretary of Food and Nutrition Security, Lilian Rahal, is for the program to go beyond water and food security and also be a tool for resilience and adaptation to climate change.
Projects
During the Caatinga Mission, the Conecta Caatinga Project was announced, to promote integrated management of the landscape in the biome, through actions to recover native vegetation and water bodies, stimulating the development of a low-carbon socio-bioeconomy and connecting vegetation between protected areas. R$30.2 million from the GEF (Global Environment Fund) will be invested.
The Arca Project: protected areas of the Caatinga is another initiative to protect the biome through the expansion and consolidation of the Snuc (National System of Nature Conservation Units), with the involvement of local communities aiming to develop management plans for the areas of preservation in the states of Bahia, Pernambuco and Piauí. Investments of R$50 million have already been approved by the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund.
Releases
The creation of the Network of Researchers on Desertification and Drought was also announced to support the implementation of national public policy, embracing the main scientific evidence to support decision-making by managers in facing the climate emergency.
Scientists will be able to participate by registering on the MMA website, until July 10th. There was also the launch of the book Manejo Florestal da Caatinga – 40 anos de experimentação.
With information from Brazil Agency
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