The Caatinga, the only exclusively Brazilian biome, currently has only half of its original vegetation. In 2008, the remnant vegetation in the area was 53.62%. Data from the monitoring of deforestation in the biome conducted between 2002 and 2008 shows that, in this period, 16,576 km² were devastated, which is equivalent to 2% of the Caatinga. The average annual rate of deforestation in the same period was around 0.33% (2,763 km²).
To the minister of the Environment, this is a significant number. According to him, the region is the most vulnerable, in Brazil, to the effects of the climate change, with a strong trend to desertification.
The main cause of destruction of the Caatinga is the extraction of the native forest, which is converted into firewood and charcoal to be used by Northeast's plaster factories and by the steel industry in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo. But other factors contribute to the deforestation, such as livestock.
"To reverse the situation is important to think about a different energy matrix for the region, prioritizing small hydroelectric plants", said the minister. Among the mitigation actions envisaged there are the recovery of soils and micro hydrographic basins, reforestation and lines of credit to combat desertification.
Carlos Minc said that the Banco do Nordeste is studying the creation of the Caatinga Fund, and that the Banco do Brasil intends to implement an specific fund to fight desertification. Moreover, Ibama is planning 25 operations to combat deforestation and the illegal charcoal in the region, which must occur this month.
With a total area of 826,411 kilometers², the Caatinga includes the states of Bahia, Ceará, Piauí, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Maranhão, Alagoas, Sergipe, Rio Grande do Sul and Minas Gerais. The municipalities with higher rates of deforestation are Acopiara (CE), Tauá (CE), Bom Jesus da Lapa (BA), Campo Formoso (BA), Boa Viagem (CE), Tucano (BA), Mucugê (BA) and Serra Talhada (PE).
According to Luciano Menezes, Ibama's director of Environmental Protection, monitoring is very important for the development of a plan to combat deforestation and to mitigate the effects of this practice. He informed that on April 28 it will be released the Plan to Combat Deforestation in the Caatinga (PPCaatinga), which will eventually be incorporated into the National Plan on Climate Change. Studies show that the Northeast may lose a third of its economy until the end of the century due to the effects of global warming and desertification.
According to the minister Minc, the MMA intends to carry out the mapping and monitoring of the five Brazilian biomes (Cerrado, Caatinga, Pantanal, Pampa and Atlantic Forest) until the end of the year.
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