A look from someone who is living in the Caatinga biome in Brazil.
Januario, a young man from the Fazenda Nova Community in the municipality of AguaFria, was very much aware of the difference and is afraid that his grandchildren will not get to know the Caatinga, as he knew it.
This biome is exclusively Brazilian and shows itself in an agonizing process of destruction. 45% of it no longer exists. Januario knows this. He also knows it because there it is obvious that some animals and plants do not exist anymore; plants that served to feed humans and animals and for treating diseases. With deforestation soil becomes lifeless. Now it is difficult to plant and harvest. The river, symbol of life, has died, further aggravating the period of drought.
Many find this normal, but there are explanations. Januario extracts and uses the natural resources of the caatinga in an irrational way. He deforested too much to make pastures. He cut a lot of wood to make firewood. He hunted excessively, degraded the soil, caused erosion and salinisation. He is unaware of the destruction he causes (and there is not only one Januario in the semiarid region).
Notwithstanding so much destruction and an uncertain future, solutions do exist. It is possible see the caatinga with a more optimistic and tender look. One must leave aside the prejudiced ideas that it is impossible to live in such a region and that it is a symbol of backwardness.
It is possible by means of agroecology, the sustainable administration of land, and environmental education to make this so fragile and delicate biome a friend, rather than a dry, harsh and hot enemy.
For this, a change of mentality is necessary... the majority of people do not understand this and worse still is that they do not know they do not understand!!!
Will Januario change? Or is the person born to break licury to die with the stone in his hand?