Brazilian savanna unprotected, study finds

Illegal occupation of land, deforestation, and monitoring efforts were some of the problems detected during the three years of research by the Joaquim Nabuco Foundation (FUNDAJ) in 14 of the country's Federal Conservation Units of Total Protection, located in the caatinga—a biome often referred to as the Brazilian savanna.

Chapada Diamantina in Bahia state, Brazil. Image credit: Kennedy Silva/Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

A study entitled Atlas of the Caatingas gathers in-depth data on both the land and the flora in each of the areas surveyed.

One of the country's least studied biomes, the caatinga stretches across ten Brazilian states and encompasses ten percent of the country's national territory, with 844 thousand square km.

It is the only biome found exclusively in Brazil, and it is usually known by its appearance in times of drought, when trees shed their leaves, the woods turn gray and the vegetation brittle.

In their work, researchers covered over 22 thousand km across the 14 conservation units, all of which controlled by the Chico Mendes Biodiversity Conservation Institute (ICMBio). In them, no economic activity is allowed—no matter how sustainable—except tourism and scientific research.

These territories are threatened by society itself. As any economic activity is banned from the conservation units surveyed, the population living or working in the area should be compensated and resettled.

In addition to the resistance showed by traditional communities, such as indigenous people and descendents of slaves; farm workers— small land owners included—still occupy prohibited territories.

The biggest problem facing the units affects the state of Pernambuco, more specifically the National Park of Catimbau—which has no headquarters even with the ICMBio.

Also, the park's land demarcation was never carried out. Other issues include land conflicts, woodcutting, and economic activities taking place within the region.

Another unit coping with challenges is among Brazil's top landmarks—the Chapada Diamantina National Park.

The Atlas of the Caatingas brings recommendations for the effective protection of the areas surveyed. Tackling the illegal occupation problem is among the most urgent demands to be addressed in order to bring all units under the federal government. (Agência Brasil)

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