The Caatinga, a uniquely Brazilian biome covering 11% of the country and home to 27 million people, faces significant human pressures. It will receive USD 5.5 million for a new project, Conecta Caatinga (Integrated Landscape Management for Biodiversity Conservation in the Caatinga). Announced in Washington by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the project’s donor, the initiative aims to establish ecological corridors connecting public and private Protected Areas, essential for reconnecting isolated populations of threatened species. Spearheaded by Brazilian Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, the project focuses on conserving biodiversity, restoring vegetation, and rehabilitating water bodies. It is being implemented by the GEF Agency FUNBIO.

“The Conecta Caatinga Project underscores the Ministry of the Environment’s commitment to promoting sustainable landscapes by integrating efforts across protected areas and their surrounding regions. In the Caatinga biome, this translates into the creation of corridors connecting protected areas, private lands, and traditional territories. This integration is vital for biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources,” says Rita Mesquita, National Secretary for Biodiversity, Forests, and Animal Rights at the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.

Set to launch in the second half of 2025, Conecta Caatinga will benefit approximately 14,000 people across 500,000 hectares over an estimated five-year duration. The initiative bolsters efforts to protect one of Brazil’s most threatened and least protected biomes, home to endangered species such as the Spix’s macaw.

“For 29 years, FUNBIO has supported projects in the Caatinga, focusing on ecological restoration and the promotion of sustainable practices that deliver both social and environmental benefits. The challenges are significant: the Caatinga is home to approximately 590 bird species, 178 mammals, 241 fish, and 221 bees. Among these, 125 animal species and 253 plant species are currently at risk of extinction,” says Rosa Lemos de Sá, Secretary-General of FUNBIO.

The implementation will be carried out in close collaboration with another project also funded by the GEF: Protected Areas of the Caatinga (ARCA). Announced in June, ARCA allocates USD 10 million to the biome from the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF), managed by the GEF and executed by FUNBIO.

“This project is an excellent example of complementarity between the GEF Trust Fund and the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF). While it aims to enhance biodiversity conservation outside Protected Areas in the Caatinga, it aligns closely with another GEF-funded GBFF project focused on Protected Areas: ARCA. I am very pleased to see how Brazil is making the best use of the GEF’s comparative advantages as a family of funds, building synergies between GEF’s traditional biodiversity funding and the GBFF. This approach fosters more efficient and impactful investments through integrated strategies,” says Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and Chairperson of the GEF.

Conecta Caatinga will operate in a biome where 80% of the surface has already been altered by human activity. The project will be implemented in territories connecting the following Protected Areas: Boqueirão da Onça Environmental Protection Area (Bahia), Boqueirão da Onça National Park (Bahia), Sobradinho Lake Environmental Protection Area (Bahia), Dunas e Veredas do Baixo Médio São Francisco Environmental Protection Area (Bahia), Serra das Confusões National Park (Piauí) (supported by the ARCA project), and Serra do Areal State Park (Pernambuco).