Caatinga Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 2001, in Brazil. The name Caatinga is a Tupi word meaning white forest or white vegetation: ‘caa’ meaning forest or vegetation, and ‘tinga’ meaning white. Caatinga is a xeric shrubland and thorn forest that consists primarily of small, thorny trees that shed their leaves seasonally. Cacti, thick-stemmed plants, thorny brush and arid-adapted grasses make up the ground layer. Many annual plants grow, flower and die during the brief rainy season.