USE OF VEGETATION AND SOIL IN AREAS SUSCEPTIBLE TO DESERTIFICATON IN PARAIBA STATE/BRAZIL

Desertification is a type of degradation occuring in dry climate zones around the world, mainly as a result of some actions due to the economic use of land in these areas. In Paraiba, state of Northeast Brazil, this theme was analyzed taking into account the interventions carried out by small producers, for some NGOs and Government in three cities, through its consequences for caatinga vegetation and soils. These effects were identified through the selection of plots and transects of 50m x 4m on some properties in situations of preservation and decay. It was identified the number of species of plants presented, the height and the families which they belonged to, besides some soil sampling to identify its fertility was done. The results showed that where the NGOs surveyed were working and their guidelines were followed, the use of land by small farmers resulted in less damage to the environment and sustainability, while in areas where there was the management of properties in the traditional manner, which are exclusively dependent of the State's actions, this proved to be absent in the development of interventions that would lead to sustainable use of these lands, where a high state of degradation was found.