Jacarenema Ecological Reserve ( pt, Reserva Ecológica de Jacarenema) is an

ecological reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

in the state of

Espírito Santo Espírito Santo (, , ; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attra ...

, Brazil. It is near the city of

Vila Velha Vila Velha (; Portuguese for "Old Village") is a coastal city in Espírito Santo, Brazil. It lies across from Vitória, the state capital. Its population was 501,325 (2020) and its area is 210.23 km². Location Vila Velha forms part of th ...

, is readily accessible to the public and does not conform to standard Brazilian definitions of environmental units.

Location

The Jacarenema State Ecological Reserve has an area of , covering the Morro da Concha sandbar, the estuary of the

Jucu River The Jucu River is a river of Espírito Santo state in eastern Brazil. The estuary of the river is in the Jacarenema Ecological Reserve, a conservation area in the city of Vila Velha Vila Velha (; Portuguese for "Old Village") is a coastal ci ...

, and a mosaic of areas of Restinga along the Rodovia do Sol. It was created by Municipal decree 056/83. It is accessible for fishing, swimming and boating. The reserve may be reached via the 1896 Madalena bridge from the Barra do Jucu neighbourhood, or by walking along the Itaparica beach from the north. There are ruins of Jesuit buildings in the reserve. The Jacarenema Ecological Reserve was created by state law 5.427 of 1997 at the initiative of deputy Claudio Vereza, supported by governor Vitor Buaiz. The reserve's definition does not conform to the National System of Conservation Units (SNUC) which does not recognise this type of conservation unit.

Environment

The Jacarenema State Ecological Reserve contains sandbank vegetation of the

Atlantic Forest The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and th ...

biome that is still in good condition. The mangroves along the river bank include

Avicennia germinans ''Avicennia germinans'', the black mangrove, is a shrub or small tree growing up to 12 meters (39 feet) in the acanthus family, Acanthaceae. It grows in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, ...

(42.26%),

Laguncularia racemosa ''Laguncularia racemosa'', the white mangrove, is a species of flowering plant in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae. It is native to the coasts of western Africa from Senegal to Cameroon, the Atlantic Coast of the Americas from Bermuda and ...

(34.42%),

Hibiscus tilliaceus ''Hibiscus tiliaceus'', commonly known as the sea hibiscus or coast cottonwood, is a species of Flowering plant, flowering tree in the Malva, mallow family, Malvaceae, with a pantropical distribution along coastlines. It has also been introduced ...

(9.80%) and

Rhizophora mangle ''Rhizophora mangle'', the red mangrove, is distributed in Estuary, estuarine ecosystems throughout the tropics. Its Vivipary, viviparous "seeds", in actuality called propagules, become fully mature plants before dropping off the parent tree. Th ...

(4.57%) The river often receives waste water from the municipalities along its course, as well as urban garbage that accumulates around the mangroves at its mouth in the ecological reserve. A 2006 report found that 5.45% of the standing trees were dead, apparently due to the impact of pollution.

Notes

Sources

* * * * {{authority control 1997 establishments in Brazil Ecological reserves of Brazil Protected areas of Espírito Santo Protected areas established in 1997