Lami José Lutzenberger Biological Reserve ( pt, Reserva Biológica do Lami José Lutzenberger) is a municipal biological reserve near

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...

, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Formation

The Lami José Lutzenberger Biological Reserve was established in 1975 in the Lami neighborhood of the city of

, and named after the local agronomist and environmentalist José Lutzenberger. It was the first municipal reserve in Brazil. The reserve covers . The park reopened in April 2002 after being closed for more than ten years to allow its ecosystems to recover. The reserve conserves nature and supports research and environmental education.

Environment

The conservation area includes riparian forests, wetlands, reeds, salt marshes, and fields, which support a wide variety of species of flora and wildlife. More than 300 native plant species have been identified and over 200 species of native birds, including local and migratory species. The reeds provides nurseries for fish, amphibians and molluscs, and turtles and lizards lay their eggs in the sandy elevations. Small groups of the semi-aquatic

capybara The capybaraAlso called capivara (in Brazil), capiguara (in Bolivia), chigüire, chigüiro, or fercho (in Colombia and Venezuela), carpincho (in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) and ronsoco (in Peru). or greater capybara (''Hydrochoerus hydro ...

(Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) can be found in the riparian forests. Other species include the

broad-snouted caiman The broad-snouted caiman (''Caiman latirostris'') is a crocodilian in the family Alligatoridae found in eastern and central South America, including southeastern Brazil, northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia. It is found mostly in fr ...

(Caiman latirostris) and

neotropical otter The Neotropical otter or Neotropical river otter (''Lontra longicaudis'') is an otter species found in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the island of Trinidad. It is physically similar to the northern and southern river otter, which o ...

(Lontra longicaudis). Endangered plant species include Ficus cestrifolia,

Erythrina crista-galli ''Erythrina crista-galli'', often known as the cockspur coral tree, is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, native to Argentina, Uruguay, southern Brazil and Paraguay. It is widely planted as a street or garden tree in other countries, not ...

and

Butia capitata ''Butia capitata'', also known as jelly palm, is a ''Butia'' palm native to the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás in Brazil. It is known locally as ''coquinho-azedo'' or ''butiá'' in (northern) Minas Gerais.Fruits of Butia capitata (Mart.) Becc ...

Notes

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lami Jose Lutzenberger Biological Reserve 1975 establishments in Brazil Biological reserves of Brazil Protected areas of Rio Grande do Sul