Unidades de conservação da caatinga: distribuição e contribuições para conservação

Abstract

Caatinga is the only Brazilian biome with boundaries entirely restricted to the national territory. It has low priority in conservation investment even nowadays and is one of Brazil's natural regions less protected. This study evaluated the process of expansion of reserves (protected areas under Sistema Nacional de Unidades de Conservação – SNUC - environmental law) in the Caatinga, in space and over time. Currently 7.8% of the biome area is under 168 reserves protection. The administration levels (federal or state administration) was not associated with reserves type, like sustainable use or strict protection. The reserves creation dynamics has changed over time, and resembled national trends, with increasing number of protected areas under state administration and greater permissiveness of use, such as Áreas de Proteção Ambiental (APAs). Federal strict use reserves are on average larger than the state strict use reserves. Piauí is the state with the highest proportion of area protected by reserves in the Caatinga, followed by Bahia and Maranhão. Only in Ceará, Bahia and Minas Gerais most of the area protected by reserves area under state administrative level, and only in Ceará and Bahia most of this areas are from sustainable use categories. Initiatives to create reserves takes place according to local demands and interests, but should cover both strict use and sustainable use reserves, and meet the recommendations of Caatinga priority areas for conservation exercises conducted by Ministry of the Environment.