Maracá Ecological Station Explained

Maracá Ecological Station
Alt Name:Estação Ecológica de Maracá
Iucn Category:Ia
Map:Brazil
Relief:yes
Nearest City:Boa Vista, Roraima
Coordinates:3.405°N -61.686°W
Designation:Ecological station
Created:2 June 1981

Maracá Ecological Station (Portuguese: Estação Ecológica de Maracá) is an ecological station in Boa Vista, Roraima, Brazil. It consists of a large island in the Uraricoera River that is covered by Amazon rainforest.

History

The Maracá Ecological Station was established by presidential decree on 2 June 1981.The station consists of the island of Maracá between the Santa Rosa and Maracá branches of the Uraricoera River in the municipality of Boa Vista, Roraima, with an area of .The Maracá Ecological Station now covers .It was established with the purpose of preserving a representative sample of the Amazon ecosystem.A grid of trails was designed by the Roraima regional center of PPBio, and completed in March 2006.

Status

As of 2009 the Ecological Station was a "strict nature reserve" under IUCN protected area category Ia, with a terrestrial area of .It is administered by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation.The conservation unit is supported by the Amazon Region Protected Areas Program.It would be included in the proposed Northern Amazon Ecological Corridor.The White-bellied spider monkey (Ateles belzebuth) is a protected species in the reserve.