Caatinga
The Caatinga ( Portuguese pronunciation: [kaaˈtʃĩɡɐ] ) is a landscape of the Sertão in the northeastern part of Brazil . The name Caatinga is an Indian word ( Tupí ) and means white forest or white vegetation ( kaa "forest", vegetation; tínga "white"). It covers around 700,000 square kilometers and is around twice the size of Germany . The Caatinga has a semi-arid climate with average annual temperatures of around 28 ° C. She has a very hot and drySouthern winter and a slightly less hot and rainy southern summer . The Caatinga rivers only carry water during a rainy summer and in some places even the large rivers dry up during the dry winter. The vegetation consists mainly of shrubs that are resistant to drought .
location
The Caatinga covers the northeast part of Brazil and is located in eight states near the Atlantic coast: Piauí , Ceará , Rio Grande do Norte , Paraíba , Pernambuco , Alagoas , Sergipe and Bahia . The Caatinga touches the big cities of Fortaleza , Recife and Salvador da Bahia . The southern half of the Caatinga is interspersed with humid tropical forest.
climate
In the Caatinga there are only two distinguishable seasons, the hot and dry winter and the hot and rainy summer. There are no leaves or undergrowth during the dry winter periods . The vegetation is very dry and the roots are beginning to penetrate the surface of the stony soil.
This is to soak up water before it evaporates. All trees shed their leaves to reduce the amount of water that is lost through breathing. During the peak of the drought, the bottom of the Caatinga can reach temperatures of up to 60 ° C. With the many dead leaves and undergrowth, the Caatinga offers the sight of uninhabitable wasteland or desert land in winter .
The drought usually ends at the end of the year and it starts raining in the new year. With the coming of the rain, the gray of the desert landscape begins to transform into a much greener land. Small plants begin to grow in the now moist soil and the trees sprout. The water begins to flow in the dried up rivers.
population
The Caatinga population uses many of the region's plant species. Palm trees are very important to the economy in northeastern Brazil. The people of this region extract oil from the babassu , carnaúba , tucúm and macaúba palms . Many trees are also used as construction timber or for medicinal purposes.
The population of the northeast is the poorest in Brazil. Many people survive on the basis of the barren vegetation of the caatinga. A very large part of the population earns more than half of their low income from extracting resources from the vegetation. The Caraiba forest has been decimated by being cut down for timber. This is also seen as the cause of the endangerment of the Spix's Macaw ( Cyanopsitta spixii ).
Popular historical figures to this day were the cangaceiros , who lived from robbing the wealthy population.
Agriculture
Some areas of the Caatinga have very fertile soil. The inhabitants plant fruits in the fertile soil for their own food and export. Some regions are irrigated, such as the Rio São Francisco valley . The resulting benefits for farmers are threatened by the salinisation of the soil as the land is irrigated with salty water. The region around São Francisco is currently exporting grapes , papayas , mangos and melons to the world market.
Excessive agriculture and excessive browsing by livestock negatively affect the natural vegetation. Deforestation for fuel or charcoal reduces vegetation. The combination of drought and farming errors are becoming a threat. Salinisation and devastation of the soil are proceeding rapidly.
vegetation
The caatinga can be divided into eight different areas according to the type of vegetation:
- The caatinga forest has deciduous tropical broad-leaved trees. The canopy of leaves covers 60% of the soil. This type of vegetation is found in the wetter areas with more precipitation.
- The tree-covered area is an area mainly composed of shrubs with some trees. The vegetation covers less than 60% of the ground.
- The area of the closed caatinga overgrown with trees and scrub consists of forest with a closed shrub cover. The vegetation covers less than 60% of the ground.
- The open tree and scrub covered area is covered with more shrubs and cacti compared to the top .
- The closed, shrubby caatinga has almost no trees.
- The open, shrubby caatinga areas occur on flat and partly rocky ground; this area contains trees, cacti and bromeliads .
- The Caatinga savannah consists of scrub with few trees.
- The rocky caatinga savannah has less than 10% ground cover and is made up of tropical shrubs that grow from crevices in the rocky ground.
See also
- The more densely overgrown wet forests in the Caatinga exclaves in the mountainous areas within the area
- Caatinga shadow hummingbird
- Caatinga lance viper
- The rare northern spherical armadillo
- The several thousand year old termite mounds - structures of the termites of the species Syntermes dirus
literature
- (pt) SAMPAIO, EVSB et al. (eds.): Vegetação e Flora da Caatinga - Contribuição ao Workshop Avaliação e Identificação de Ações Prioritárias para a Conservação, Utilização Sustentável e Repartição dos Benefícios da Biodiversidade do Bioma Caatinga. In: Petrolina, 5/2000. Recife: Associação Plantas do Nordeste - APNE; Centro Nordestino de Informações sobre Plantas - CNIP, 2002.
- (pt) MAIA, Gerda Nickel: Caatinga: arvores e arbustos e suas utilidades , 2004, 413 p. ISBN 978-85-86587-50-4 - 40 species of Caatinga tree are described in detail, each illustrated with photos of the tree, the leaves, flowers and fruits. Healing effects are also described for many plants.
- (pt, en) MAJOR, István et al .: Aves da caatinga = Birds of the caatinga . Fortaleza: Edições Demócrito Rocha; Associação Caatinga, 2004. ISBN 85-7529-240-4
- (pt) Sidclay Cordeiro et al .: Plantas Úteis do Nordeste do Brasil . Recife: Centro Nordestino de Informações sobre Plantas - CNIP, Associação Plantas do Nordeste - APNE, 2003. ISBN 85-89692-01-9
- (pt) SAMPAIO, EVSB et al. (eds.): Espécies da Flora Nordestina de Importância Econômica Potencial - Recife: Associação Plantas do Nordeste - APNE, 2005. ISBN 85-89692-05-1
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- ↑ Termite mound area discovered: As big as the British island - "It's unbelievable" , Die Welt , November 22, 2018.
