The Brinckheuvel Nature Reserve (

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

: Natuurreservaat Brinckheuvel) is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

and nature reserve in

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

. The reserve is located on the

Saramacca River Saramacca River is a river in Suriname. The Arawaks named this river "Surama", and today's name "Saramacca" is probably derived from it. It originates in the Wilhelmina Mountains and flows northwards and enters the Atlantic Ocean together with t ...

, and is the most southern savannah of the Savannah Belt. The Mindrineti River flows through the reserve. The reserve measures 6,000 hectares, and has been a protected area since 1961.

Overview

The main reason for protecting the area is the unique

Greywacke Greywacke or graywacke (German ''grauwacke'', signifying a grey, earthy rock) is a variety of sandstone generally characterized by its hardness, dark color, and poorly sorted angular grains of quartz, feldspar, and small rock fragments or lit ...

landscape of the Sabanpasi type. The reserve contains three hills which are topped with white sand caps: the Brinckheuvel, the Klaiberheuvel and the Loblesheuvel. More than 500 plants species have been collected of which 8 are rare. Animal life has not been well studied, and data is limited to fish. One species of catfish, '' Corydoras saramaccensis'' is endemic to the Saramacca River. The Brinckheuvel Nature Reserve can only be accessed by boat from the village of Kwakoegron. Gold mining at the nearby Rosebel gold mine may disturb the area. It is unclear whether the savannah is stable, therefore controlled burning is recommended to prevent the reserve turning into a savannah forest.

References

Bibliography

* * Brokopondo District Nature reserves in Suriname Protected areas of Suriname {{SouthAm-protected-area-stub