COP17 in Mongolia: see how the debate on desertification connects to the reality of the Sertão of PE

COP17 in Mongolia: see how the debate on desertification connects to the reality of Sertão de PE Maristela Crispim The opening of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, COP17, took place this Monday (17), in Ulaanbaatar, in the capital of Mongolia. The meeting, which continues until August 28, has the theme "Restoring the Earth. Restoring Hope", placing at the center of discussions the recovery of degraded lands and the construction of solutions to face desertification, soil degradation and drought. ?: Download the g1 app to see news from Petrolina and the region in real time and for free Thousands of kilometers from Pernambuco, representatives from different countries meet in Ulaanbaatar, in the capital of Mongolia, to discuss a problem that is also part of the reality of the state's Sertão: desertification. With the beginning of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, COP17, g1 Petrolina begins a special series of reports to show how the themes discussed at the international meeting connect with the territory, the population and the initiatives developed in the Semiarid region of Pernambuco. The starting point is the Cabrobó Desertification Center, an area that, considering the expanded delimitation announced in 2023, currently covers seven municipalities in Pernambuco: Cabrobó, Belém do São Francisco, Parnamirim, Salgueiro, Itacuruba, Floresta and Carnaubeira da Penha. Throughout the next reports, the series will address different aspects of this reality: the effects of degradation on those who live and work in the Sertão, the relationship between drought, climate change and desertification, initiatives to recover degraded areas and technologies and strategies that can contribute to the conservation of the Caatinga and coexistence with the conditions of the Semiarid. Journalist Diana Silva, from g1 Petrolina, will cover COP 17, in Mongolia The Cabrobó Desertification Center The first surveys carried out in the 1970s indicated that the Cabrobó Desertification Center was formed by Cabrobó, Itacuruba, Belém de São Francisco and Floresta. Over the years, the delimitation of the area changed. The State Plan to Combat Desertification of Pernambuco, from 2009, presented as its central nucleus only Belém do São Francisco, Cabrobó and Floresta. In a more recent survey, carried out by the São Francisco Hydrographic Basin Committee, Parnamirim, Carnaubeira da Penha and Salgueiro were incorporated. Considering the expanded delimitation announced in 2023, the nucleus now covers seven municipalities: Cabrobó, Belém do São Francisco, Itacuruba, Floresta, Carnaubeira da Penha, Salgueiro and Parnamirim. The municipality of Cabrobó gives the nucleus its name because it is the main geographical reference for the area historically identified in studies on land degradation in the region. The territory is located in the semi-arid region of Pernambuco and brings together areas where the conservation of the Caatinga, water availability, rural production and land use are related to the environmental challenges faced in the region. Is desertification advancing? One of the main questions to understand the current situation of the core is whether the degradation process continues to advance. According to the Pernambuco State Environmental Agency (CPRH), a preliminary survey carried out by the Caatinga Observatory shows that the Cabrobó Center is stabilized, indicating that there has been no progress in the desertification process. Maps of Degradation and Native Vegetation in Cabrobó and municipalities in the Sertão of PE - 2000/2021 Reproduction Caatinga Observatory - OCA The CPRH, however, reports that other areas of the state, mainly in the Agreste, have shown a reduction in vegetation cover and are more vulnerable to the desertification process. The data shows that the scenario is not uniform and that different areas of the state present different levels of vulnerability. An area being considered stabilized does not necessarily mean that it has been recovered. The conservation and recovery of vegetation cover continue to be strategies for combating environmental degradation. In the Sertão of Pernambuco, one of the coping actions is related to the recovery of forest cover. Through a CPRH Development Agreement with the Araripe Foundation, actions to recover forest cover began to be carried out in conservation units and their respective buffer zones in the Semi-Arid region. The project “Reforesting Conservation Units to Promote the Sociobiodiversity of the Caatinga” aims to plant 500 thousand seedlings, replant 75 thousand seedlings and a planted area of ??370 hectares. The actions are planned for seven conservation units in the Caatinga: APA Chapada do Araripe, in Araripina and Bodocó; Negreiros National Forest, in Serrita; Serras Catingueiras Wildlife Refuge, in Cabrobó; Serra do Areal State Park, in Petrolina; Serra da Canoa Ecological Station, in Floresta; Mata da Pimenteira State Park, in Serra Talhada; Catimbau National Park, in Buíque, Ibimirim and Tupanatinga. In the first hydrological cycle, completed in 2025, 234,171 seedlings were produced and 200,000 planted. The second cycle, running in 2026, foresees the production of 132 thousand seedlings and the planting of 88.5 thousand. For 2027, the production of at least 242.5 thousand seedlings is scheduled, with a forecast of planting 167.5 thousand and replanting 75 thousand. The project also provides for maintenance and monitoring for three years and two months. Among the areas covered is the Serras Catingueiras Wildlife Refuge, which covers the municipalities of Cabrobó and Salgueiro. The conservation unit is one of two state units currently existing within the Cabrobó Desertification Center. The other is the Serra da Canoa Ecological Station, in Floresta. According to the CPRH, conservation units play an important role in preserving and recovering biodiversity, and