The Cariri region of Ceará, Brazil, is a critical socio-environmental frontier where agribusiness expansion threatens the Área de Proteção Ambiental (APA) da Chapada do Araripe. Monitoring this transition is challenging because the Caatinga’s extreme dry-season phenology generates "false deforestation" signals in standard optical datasets. This study presents a hybrid framework pairing historical optical time-series with modern structural radar calibration. We establish a 30-year baseline of spatial change using ESA land cover and Sentinel-2 imagery to map agricultural expansion near the Crajubar triangle. To resolve seasonal optical illusions, this baseline is cross-examined against recent NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) L-band and S-band backscatter. Radar penetrates the canopy to interact directly with woody biomass, providing a persistent structural signature regardless of foliage. This radar-derived ground truth validates the optical timeline, equipping policymakers with accurate metrics to balance development and environmental preservation.