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The recovery of the Caatinga has become central to environmental policies for the Semi-arid region, with calls for proposals, federal targets, and alerts about areas vulnerable to desertification in the Northeast and Rio Grande do Norte.
Desertification in the Brazilian Semi-arid region pressures governments, financial institutions, researchers, and rural communities to expand actions for the recovery of the Caatinga, the predominant biome in a significant part of the Northeast.
The topic has become part of new fronts of financing and public policy, including the Recaatingar Program, from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and the Banco do Nordeste’s call for R$ 15 million for environmental recovery and sustainable use projects of the biome.
In Rio Grande do Norte, the situation requires attention, especially in the Seridó region, included in studies on desertification nuclei in the country.
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The territory has sensitive environmental conditions, such as shallow soils and low water availability, in addition to a history of pressure on native vegetation, according to a publication by the National Institute of the Semi-arid.
Caatinga in the Brazilian Semi-arid
The Brazilian Semi-arid extends across the nine states of the Northeast and the north of Minas Gerais.
According to the National Institute of the Semi-arid, the region occupies about 12% of the national territory and is home to approximately 28 million inhabitants, distributed between urban and rural areas.
The Caatinga, predominant in this territory, is the only exclusively Brazilian biome.
Although it appears dry during part of the year, it harbors plant and animal species adapted to the irregularity of rainfall and the climatic conditions of the Semi-arid.
According to INSA, the Semi-arid has more than 11,000 cataloged plant species.
The conservation of the biome is related to soil protection, water security, biodiversity maintenance, and the continuation of rural economic activities.
Family farmers, indigenous peoples, quilombola communities, extractivists, artisanal fishermen, pasture funds and closures, and other traditional peoples and communities use resources from the Caatinga for food, production, animal husbandry, medicinal plant use, and income generation.
Desertification and soil degradation
Desertification is characterized by land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid regions.
In the Semi-arid region, the process is associated with a combination of climate change, prolonged droughts, and inadequate land use practices, such as deforestation, burning, overgrazing, agricultural management without conservation, and intensive exploitation of natural resources.
According to INSA, 85% of the Brazilian Semi-arid region is in a moderate process of desertification, and 9% is already effectively desertified.
These data indicate the extent of the problem and help explain why the recovery of native vegetation has become more prominent in environmental policies aimed at the Northeast.
When the vegetation cover is removed, the soil becomes more exposed to erosion, loses organic matter, and reduces its capacity to absorb rainwater.
As a result, areas previously used for agriculture and livestock may lose productivity, while springs, small watercourses, and reservoirs become more vulnerable to the effects of drought.
The Ministry of the Environment reports that the Areas Susceptible to Desertification in Brazil encompass the semi-arid tropics, dry sub-humid areas, and surrounding areas.
Based on the Atlas of Areas Susceptible to Desertification, the agency points out that this region covers about 1.34 million km² and directly affects about 30 million people.
Desertification nuclei in the Northeast
The nuclei historically most cited in studies and public policies in the country are Gilbués, in Piauí; Irauçuba, in Ceará; Seridó, in Rio Grande do Norte and Paraíba; and Cabrobó, in Pernambuco.
These territories have become references for monitoring environmental degradation in the Semi-arid region.
In Irauçuba, in western Ceará, degradation is linked to natural soil characteristics and intense land use, with erosion and gradual loss of soil depth.
In Gilbués, in southern Piauí, erosion plays a significant role in the formation of large degraded areas, influenced by natural factors and human occupation.
In the Cabrobó nucleus, in the Pernambuco Sertão, desertification involves municipalities such as Cabrobó, Orocó, Santa Maria da Boa Vista, Belém do São Francisco, Salgueiro, Parnamirim, Itacuruba, Petrolina, Afrânio, Ouricuri, Araripina, and Floresta.
INSA studies associate the process in this area with climatic conditions, soil characteristics, and forms of land occupation and use.
Seridó and desertification in Rio Grande do Norte
In Rio Grande do Norte, the Seridó nucleus is among the most monitored areas in studies on desertification.
The area includes municipalities such as Currais Novos, Cruzeta, Equador, Carnaúba dos Dantas, Acari, Parelhas, Caicó, Jardim do Seridó, Ouro Branco, and Santana do Seridó, as well as locations in Paraíba.
The INSA publication links degradation in Seridó to a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors.
Among them are low and irregular rainfall, the presence of shallow and rocky soils, rugged terrain, vegetation cutting for firewood, use in the ceramic industry, and extensive livestock farming.
These activities, when carried out without proper management, reduce the natural protection of the soil, increase erosion, and hinder the regeneration of native vegetation.
In the case of Rio Grande do Norte, the recovery of the Caatinga is directly related to family farming, livestock, water availability, economic activities in the interior, and the adaptation of rural communities to droughts.
Recaatingar Program and Goal by 2045
On June 11, 2026, the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change established the Recaatingar Program, aimed at the socio-productive recovery of degraded areas of the Caatinga.
The goal announced by the federal government is to recover 10 million hectares by 2045, with actions related to biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation, water and food security, and income generation in the Semi-arid region.
The program brings together actions for soil conservation, food production, recovery of natural water sources, and biodiversity restoration.
According to the MMA, the strategy involves family farmers, traditional peoples and communities, social organizations, and institutions operating in the Caatinga territories.
The initiative is also connected to the Brazilian Action Plan to Combat Desertification 2025–2045 and the National Policy to Combat Desertification.
Among the legal frameworks cited by the MMA are Law No. 13.153/2015, which established the national policy on the subject, and Ordinance GM/MMA No. 1.700/2026, which regulates the Recaatingar.
Calls for Proposals for Caatinga Recovery
The Banco do Nordeste launched the Sustainability Fund Call 01/2025, valued at R$ 15 million, to support environmental recovery and sustainable use projects in the Caatinga.
The call is aimed at non-profit public and private institutions in the bank’s area of operation, with exclusive execution in the Brazilian Semi-arid region.
According to the call’s rules, projects must combine environmental recovery and sustainable use of the biome, with actions aimed at restoration, combating deforestation, addressing desertification, preserving biodiversity, and generating employment and income.
The expected execution is from 24 to 36 months, after the formalization of agreements with the selected institutions.
Another financing front was announced by the federal government in June 2026, with a call for proposals of R$ 60 million linked to Recaatingar.
The resources involve the Amazon Fund, the National Bank for Economic and Social Development, and the Bank of the Northeast, according to the Ministry of the Environment.
In Rio Grande do Norte, the calls may benefit universities, research institutes, associations, cooperatives, and social organizations with projects focused on ecological restoration, agroforestry systems, spring recovery, social technologies, and production adapted to the Semi-arid region.
The selection of projects, however, depends on the rules of each call for proposals and the approval of the proposals submitted by the institutions.
The response to desertification involves recovery of degraded areas, financing, applied research, technical assistance, environmental monitoring, and participation of the communities living in the territory.
