Mamirauá
Encyclopedia
The Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve in the Brazil
ian state of Amazonas, near the city of Tefé
, is a 22000 square miles (56,979.7 km²) reserve near the village of Boca do Mamirauá. It includes mostly Amazonian
flooded forest and wetland
s.
of the IUCN, as a wetland of global importance. It has been proposed that the Reserve should form part of a future UNESCO
Biosphere Reserve
in the Brazilian Amazon. At present, it is included in one of the Ecological Corridors to be implemented by the PPG-7 Program for the Protection of Brazilian Tropical Forests.
The reserve is the legacy and life work of Brazilian scientist José Márcio Corrêa Ayres.
One of the tribes that live there are the Riberinho people who are co-operating with the scientists to help them gather data, in return the scientists teach them how to fish and hunt sustainably.
s, harpy eagle, hoatzin
, 15 species of parrot
s and, specially, aquatic birds. Two species of monkeys, the white uakari
and the black squirrel monkey
are endemic of this region, which is also home of other kinds of arboreal mammals such as howler monkey
s, sloth
s, coati
and collared anteaters. Land mammals are not that common as most of the territory is flooded during the wet season. During this season the pink dolphin
is distributed in the flooded forest.
The most conspicuous of the numerous fish species are tambaqui
, piranha
and pirarucu. Mamirauá is also a perfect place to spot the Amazon river dolphins, both boto
and tucuxi
.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian state of Amazonas, near the city of Tefé
Tefé
Tefé is a city and a municipality in the state of Amazonas in Brazil. Its population was 70,809 as of 2005 and its area is 23,704 km². It is located about 500 km to the west of Manaus on the south bank of the Rio Solimões....
, is a 22000 square miles (56,979.7 km²) reserve near the village of Boca do Mamirauá. It includes mostly Amazonian
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
flooded forest and wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s.
Protection
Mamirauá is protected by the international Ramsar ConventionRamsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
of the IUCN, as a wetland of global importance. It has been proposed that the Reserve should form part of a future UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
in the Brazilian Amazon. At present, it is included in one of the Ecological Corridors to be implemented by the PPG-7 Program for the Protection of Brazilian Tropical Forests.
The reserve is the legacy and life work of Brazilian scientist José Márcio Corrêa Ayres.
One of the tribes that live there are the Riberinho people who are co-operating with the scientists to help them gather data, in return the scientists teach them how to fish and hunt sustainably.
Wildlife
Mamirauá hosts a large diversity of birds, with more than 400 species recorded, including toucanToucan
Toucans are members of the family Ramphastidae of near passerine birds from the Neotropics. The family is most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five genera and about forty different species...
s, harpy eagle, hoatzin
Hoatzin
The Hoatzin , also known as the Hoactzin, Stinkbird, or Canje Pheasant, is a species of tropical bird found in swamps, riverine forest and mangrove of the Amazon and the Orinoco delta in South America...
, 15 species of parrot
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
s and, specially, aquatic birds. Two species of monkeys, the white uakari
Bald Uakari
The bald uakari or bald-headed uakari is a small New World monkey with a very short tail, red face, a bald head, and long coat...
and the black squirrel monkey
Black Squirrel Monkey
The black squirrel monkey , also known as the blackish squirrel monkey or black-headed squirrel monkey, is a small New World primate, endemic to the central Amazon in Brazil...
are endemic of this region, which is also home of other kinds of arboreal mammals such as howler monkey
Howler monkey
Howler monkeys are among the largest of the New World monkeys. Fifteen species are currently recognised. Previously classified in the family Cebidae, they are now placed in the family Atelidae. These monkeys are native to South and Central American forests...
s, sloth
Sloth
Sloths are the six species of medium-sized mammals belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae , part of the order Pilosa and therefore related to armadillos and anteaters, which sport a similar set of specialized claws.They are arboreal residents of the jungles of Central and South...
s, coati
Coati
Coatis, genera Nasua and Nasuella, also known as the Brazilian aardvark, Mexican tejón, hog-nosed coon, pizotes, crackoons and snookum bears, are members of the raccoon family . They are diurnal mammals native to South America, Central America, and south-western North America...
and collared anteaters. Land mammals are not that common as most of the territory is flooded during the wet season. During this season the pink dolphin
Pink dolphin
Pink dolphin is the common name of two different species of dolphins:* The Chinese white dolphin of the Pearl River Delta that live in and around Hong Kong...
is distributed in the flooded forest.
The most conspicuous of the numerous fish species are tambaqui
Tambaqui
The tambaqui is a freshwater fish of the subfamily Serrasalminae, family Characidae. It is also known by the names pacu, black pacu, black-finned pacu, giant pacu, cachama and gamitana....
, piranha
Piranha
A piranha or piraña is a member of family Characidae in order Characiformes, an omnivorous freshwater fish that inhabits South American rivers. In Venezuela, they are called caribes...
and pirarucu. Mamirauá is also a perfect place to spot the Amazon river dolphins, both boto
Boto
The Amazon river dolphin, alternatively Bufeo, Bufeo Colorado, Boto Cor de Rosa, Boutu, Nay, Tonina, or Pink Dolphin , is a freshwater river dolphin endemic to the Orinoco, Amazon and Araguaia/Tocantins River systems of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela...
and tucuxi
Tucuxi
The Tucuxi , alternately bufeo gris or bufeo negro is a dolphin found in the rivers of the Amazon Basin. The word "tucuxi" is derived from the Tupi language word tuchuchi-ana and has now been adopted as the species' common name...
.