This biome covers 9.92% of the country of Brazil and occupies an area of 844,453 km2, consisting mostly of savannah steppe. Stunted Sparse occupies the entire Ceara state and part of the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe states.

Some surveys about its fauna reveal that the biome has 40 species of lizards, 7 anfibenídeos species (species of lizards without legs), 45 species of snakes, 4 turtles, 1 Crocodylia, 44 amphibians and 1 Gymnophiona.

According to the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), 27 million people are currently living in the drought polygon. Economic exploitation of the region originated with logging, monoculture of sugar cane and the raising of livestock on the large estates. Rainfed agriculture is still practiced in the Caatinga region.

The ecosystems of the Stunted Sparse biome have been greatly changed, as native plant species have been replaced by crops and pastures. Deforestation and burning are still common practices in order to prepare land for agriculture. Besides destroying the vegetation, these practices affect the maintenance of wildlife populations, water quality, and the balance of climate and soil. Approximately 80% of the original ecosystems have been altered in the Caatinga biome.