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Caatinga pp 3–19Cite as

The Caatinga: Understanding the Challenges

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Abstract

The Caatinga is a well-recognized ecological region that lies in the semiarid hinterland of northeastern Brazil and that covers 912,529 km2. The term ‘Caatinga’ refers mostly to a seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) that presents a mosaic of different physiognomies. The Caatinga is a very heterogeneous region that can be divided into nine ecoregions. It was home to 28.6 million people in 2010. The region has an economy based mostly on public services, and its human development indicators are the lowest in Brazil. The interactions between humans and nature in the region have been marked by a frontier mindset in which natural resources are perceived as infinite. The combination of acute disturbances, chronic disturbances, the proliferation of exotic species, and climate change can lead to the disruption of critical ecological services. A significant regional shift toward sustainable development in this region is urgent. It will require persistence, creativity, consistent financial and political support, and a robust and evident connection between the improvement of human livelihoods and the conservation of natural landscapes.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Fábio Scarano for discussions about Caatinga development and sustainability. IRL and MT thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico for productivity grants (CNPq, process 305611/2014-3 and 310228/2016-6, respectively) and financial support from CNPq (PELD 403770/2012-2, Universal 477290/2009-4 and 470480/2013-0), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, PROBRAL CAPES-DAAD process 99999.008131/2015-05), and Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE, processes: APQ 0140-2.05/08 and 0738-2.05/12, PRONEX 0138-2.05/14). JMCS received support from the University of Miami and the Swift Action Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    José Maria Cardoso da Silva

  2. Conservation International do Brasil, Belém, PA, Brazil

    Luis Cláudio Fernandes Barbosa

  3. Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

    Inara R. Leal & Marcelo Tabarelli

Authors
  1. José Maria Cardoso da Silva
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  2. Luis Cláudio Fernandes Barbosa
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  3. Inara R. Leal
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  4. Marcelo Tabarelli
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to José Maria Cardoso da Silva .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    José Maria Cardoso da Silva

  2. Department of Botânica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

    Inara R. Leal  & Marcelo Tabarelli  & 

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Silva, J.M.C., Barbosa, L.C.F., Leal, I.R., Tabarelli, M. (2017). The Caatinga: Understanding the Challenges. In: Silva, J.M.C., Leal, I.R., Tabarelli, M. (eds) Caatinga. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68339-3_1

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