EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL DECOLONIAL E RESISTÊNCIA BIOCULTURAL NA CAATINGA: UMA ABORDAGEM A PARTIR DA ECOLOGIA DE SABERES E DA DESERTIFICAÇÃO MENTAL DECOLONIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND BIOCULTURAL RESISTANCE IN THE CAATINGA: AN APPROACH BASED ON THE ECOLOGY OF KNOWLEDGE AND MENTAL DESERTIFICATION

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The persistence of Eurocentric educational models in the Brazilian semi-arid region hás contributed to the invisibilization of ancestral knowledge and to the consolidation of a reduced perception of the Caatinga, often associated with scar city and degradation. This scenario reveals a process of mental desertification, characterized by the erosion of local knowledge and the disconnection between subjects and territory. This study aims to analyze how decolonial  environmental education can function as a strategy for biocultural resistance based on the ecology of knowledge. Methodologically, this is na integrative literature review conducted between November 2025 and March 2026, based on 234 initially identified references, of which 25 composed the final corpus. The results indicate that environmental education in the semi-arid region remains largely decontextualized, while traditional knowledge systems demonstrate high adaptive capacity and relevance for sustainability. The discussion high lights that over coming mental desertification requires reconfiguring the epistemological foundations of education by fostering dialogue among different knowledge systems. It is concluded that decolonial environmental education constitutes a strategic tool for promoting epistemic justice and streng thening biocultural silience in the Caatinga, opening pathways for more contextualized and transformative educational practices.