Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic

The Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic (Portuguese: Mosaico da Mata Atlântica Central Fluminense) is a protected area mosaic in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The mosaic is inland, to the east of the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic
Mosaico da Mata Atlântica Central Fluminense
Três Picos - Highest point of the mosaic
Map showing the location of Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic
Map showing the location of Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic
Nearest cityRio de Janeiro
Coordinates22°24′50″S 42°36′50″W / 22.414°S 42.614°W / -22.414; -42.614
Area295,723 hectares (730,750 acres)
DesignationProtected area mosaic
Created11 December 2006

History

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A project to create three new protected area mosaics in the Serra do Mar Ecological Corridor began in December 2005, coordinated by the National Council of the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve. These were the Bocaina Mosaic, Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic and Mantiqueira Mosaic. Funding was provided by Conservation International, the Fund for the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank.[1] The Central Coastal Atlantic Forest Mosaic was recognized by the Ministry of the Environment on 11 December 2006.[2] There were originally 22 conservation units in the mosaic. Others were added, and as of 2010 there were 29 units, with a total area of 295,723 hectares (730,750 acres).[3] The strategic plan was developed in 2010.[4]

Extent

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The Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic encompasses 14 municipalities: Bom Jardim, Cachoeiras de Macacu, Casimiro de Abreu, Duque de Caxias, Guapimirim, Itaboraí, Macaé, Magé, Miguel Pereira, Nova Friburgo, Nova Iguaçu, Petrópolis, Rio Bonito, São Gonçalo, São José do Vale do Rio Preto, Silva Jardim, Teresópolis and Tanguá.[3]

Environment

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Altitudes range from sea level at the Guanabara Bay to 2,316 metres (7,598 ft) in the Três Picos State Park, with different degrees of human occupation, resulting in great diversity of environments and landscapes.[3] The land in the lower regions was formed by sediments deposited by the rivers and the sea. In the coastal areas there are several meandering rivers that deposit fine sediment carried from the mountains, creating an ideal environment for the growth of mangroves, which are concentrated in the Guapimirim Environmental Protection Area and the Guanabara Ecological Station. Further from the shore there are patches of dense alluvial rainforest. Further back again this starts to merge into dense lowland and sub-montane rainforest in the Bacia do Rio Macacu, Guapi-Guapiaçu and Suruí environmental protection areas.[5]

Further inland, as the land rises, there are fragments of dense montane forest, dense high montane forest and alpine meadows. To the north of the mosaic there are patches of submontane and montane seasonal forest. Originally the most common form of vegetation in the mosaic was dense lowland rainforest, followed by dense submontane and montane rainforest. The semideciduous montane forest and alpine meadows were the least common. The native vegetation has been subject to exploitation and destruction for several centuries. Today there are 511 fragments of forest and mangroves, with an area of 177,557 hectares (438,750 acres).[5]

Conservation units

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Conservation units in the mosaic include:[6]

Unit Type Area (ha) Level Municipalities Created
Araponga Municipal nature park 1,376 Municipal São José do Vale do Rio Preto 2006
Araras Biological reserve 3,862 State Petrópolis 1977
Bacia do Rio Macacu Environmental protection area 19,508 State Cachoeiras de Macacu, Guapimirim, Itaboraí, Magé 2002
Bacia dos Frades Environmental protection area 7,500 State Teresópolis 1990
CEC-Tinguá Private natural heritage reserve 16 Federal Tinguá 2003
El Nagal Private natural heritage reserve 17 Federal Magé
Fazenda Suspiro Private natural heritage reserve 18 Federal Teresópolis 1999
Floresta do Jacarandá Environmental protection area 2,700 State Teresópolis 1985
Graziela Maciel Barroso Private natural heritage reserve 184 Federal Petrópolis 2005
Guanabara Ecological station 1,935 Federal Guapimirim, São Gonçalo 2006
Guapi-Guapiaçú Environmental protection area 15,538 Municipal Guapimirim 2004
Guapimirim Environmental protection area 13,825 Federal Guapimirim, Itaboraí, Magé, São Gonçalo 1984
Macaé de Cima Environmental protection area 35,037 State Nova Friburgo, Silva Jardim 2001
Maravilha Environmental protection area 1,700 Municipal São José do Vale do Rio Preto 2006
Montanhas de Teresópolis Municipal nature park 4,397 Municipal Teresópolis 2009
Montes das Flores Ecological station 212 Municipal São José do Vale do Rio Preto
Paraíso Ecological station 4,920 State Guapimirim, Cachoeiras de Macacu 1987
Pedra das Flores Natural monument 346 Municipal São José do Vale do Rio Preto 2005
Pedra do Elefante Natural monument 530 Municipal Petrópolis 2010
Petrópolis Environmental protection area 59,618 Federal Petrópolis, Magé, Duque de Caxias, Guapimirim 1992
Petrópolis Municipal nature park 17 Municipal Petrópolis 2002
Querência Private natural heritage reserve 5 Federal Magé 1999
Jaceruba Environmental protection area 247 Municipal Nova Iguaçu 2002
Serra do Barbosão Municipal nature park 878 Municipal Tanguá 2007
Serra dos Órgãos National park 20,024 Federal Petrópolis, Guapimirim, Magé, Teresópolis, São Gonçalo 1939
Suruí Environmental protection area 14,146 Municipal Magé 2007
Taquara Municipal nature park 19 Municipal Duque de Caxias 1992
Tinguá Biological reserve 26,136 Federal Miguel Pereira, Petrópolis, Nova Iguaçu, Duque de Caxias 1989
Três Picos State park 58,800 State Cachoeiras de Macacu, Teresópolis, Nova Friburgo, Silva Jardim, Guapimirim 2002

Notes

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Sources

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  • "Corredor ecológico da Serra do Mar", Acervo da Folha do Meio (in Portuguese), FMA: Folha do Meio Ambiente, 20 December 2006, archived from the original on 23 September 2016, retrieved 2016-09-22
  • Costa, Cláudia; Lamas, Ivana; Fernandes, Rosan (December 2010), Planejamento Estratégico do Mosaico Central Fluminense (PDF) (in Portuguese), Reserva da Biosfera da Mata Atlântica, archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-07, retrieved 2016-10-02