CATIMBAU VALLEY, Brazil — Catimbau Valley of the Caatinga region is renowned for its incredible biodiversity and rich archaeological heritage. Home to the second largest collection of rock inscriptions in Brazil, this area is not only a natural treasure but also holds deep cultural significance. It is the sacred ancestral land of the Kapinawá people, who rediscovered their Indigenous identity in the 1970s amidst struggles against land encroachment.
In 2002, part of the Kapinawá’s territory was designated as a national park, while the rest remains an Indigenous area. Despite facing numerous restrictions, the Kapinawá continue to innovate by using their land as a living laboratory for agroecology, striving to balance biodiversity conservation with sustainable food production. Watch this video to learn more about how this community transforms challenges into opportunities and contributes to preserving the Caatinga’s unique environment.
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Banner Image: Landscape of the sanctuary site in Catimbau National Park. Image by Xavier Bartaburu/Mongabay.
In the Brazilian outback, the half-century Kapinawá struggle for sacred ground