While wind turbines and solar panels multiply across the Brazilian dry forests, Tião Alves insists on tin windmills and PET bottle-based heaters. “Backcountry technology,” as he defines it, arguing that the best solutions to make life possible in the Caatinga semiarid region are those born from popular wisdom. “Those that sprout like a seed you […]
UAUÁ, Bahia, Brazil Everything is growing in Perpétua’s grove now. “Can you see? This is avocado; over there, papaya. This year I already got acerola. We plant a little bit of everything here. Carrots, beets. Here, I planted coriander. This is a pigeon pea; we make a very tasty farofa with it. This row […]
UAUÁ, Bahia, Brazil In the backlands of northern Bahia state, nobody ever thought about putting up a fence in the woods. According to the tradition that governs fundo de pasto communities, the Caatinga dry forest belongs to everyone: Everything there, from trees to cactuses, should remain freely accessible. That’s what a fundo de pasto […]
Tropical forests play a fundamental role in storing carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. And while the Amazon rainforest is often top of mind when it comes to stores of CO2, there’s another ecosystem in Brazil that stashes away a much larger amount of carbon per hectare: mangroves. Scientists have long […]