The Morro dos Seis Lagos Biological Reserve ( pt, Reserva Biológica Morro Dos Seis Lagos) is a
biological reserve in the state of
Amazonas, Brazil.
It protects an inselberg in the
Amazon rainforest that contains valuable minerals.
Mining has been prohibited since the reserve protected, and since it is in an indigenous territory.
Location
The Morro dos Seis Lagos (Hill of the Six Lakes) Biological Reserve is in the municipality of
São Gabriel da Cachoeira
São Gabriel da Cachoeira (''Saint Gabriel of the Waterfall'') is a municipality located on the northern shore of the Rio Negro River, in the region of Cabeça do Cachorro, Amazonas state, Brazil.
Location
São Gabriel da Cachoeira is the thi ...
, Amazonas.
It has an area of .
The reserve lies within the
Balaio Indigenous Territory
The Balaio Indigenous Territory ( pt, Terra Indígena Balaio) is an indigenous territory in the northwest of the state of Amazonas, Brazil. The territory is home to small numbers of people from several different ethnic groups of the Arawak and ...
.
It is surrounded by the
Pico da Neblina National Park
Pico da Neblina National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional do Pico da Neblina) is a national park in the state of Amazonas in the north of Brazil, bordering on Venezuela. It overlaps with several indigenous territories, which creates tensions over land ...
.
Highway
BR-307 runs through the reserve, connecting the town of São Gabriel da Cachoeira to
Cucuí on the
Rio Negro near the point where the river enters Brazil.
The reserve is accessible by boat via the Igarapé-Mirim.
It is from
Manaus.
The hill is an
inselberg
An inselberg or monadnock () is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain.
In Southern Africa a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, a ...
that may be the remains of a longer
pediplain
In geology and geomorphology a pediplain (from the Latin ''pes'', genitive case ''pedis'', meaning "foot") is an extensive plain formed by the coalescence of pediments. The processes through which pediplains forms is known as pediplanation. Th ...
.
The reserve is drained by streams of the Rio Negro basin, which form waterfalls.
It contains six lakes, from which it takes its name, with different colors due to dissolved minerals.
It contains caves and collapsed rock structures.
There is high potential for development of ecotourism.
History
The region contains large mineral reserves, including rich deposits of iron,
manganese
Manganese is a chemical element with the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy use ...
and
niobium.
The latter are important for manufacture of electronic devices such as computers and cellphones.
The Companhia de Pesquisas e Recursos Minerais (CPRM) claimed the mineral rights based on a concession and explorations that started in 1975.
The CPRM is owned by the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
The 1988 constitution only allows mining on indigenous territories when authorized by a specific law.
The Indians expressed opposition to mining.
The Morro dos Seis Lagos Biological Reserve was created by Amazonas state decree 12.836 of 9 March 1990.
In October 1997 a scheduled auction of the niobium reserve was cancelled due to pressure from the
, which objected to opening the mine since it is within two protected areas.
In 1999 the mining concession was annulled at the request of the Public Ministry of the State of Amazonas.
Environment
Vegetation is typical of rupestrian, submontane and montane regions.
Vegetation is in the contact between ''
campinarana'' and rainforest.
There is a thermal spring on the slope of the hill with temperature of .
Fauna include
jaguar (''Panthera onca''),
ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') and
screaming piha (''Lipaugus vociferans'').
Visits are allowed only for research or education.
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Morro dos Seis Lagos Biological Reserve
Biological reserves of Brazil
Protected areas established in 1990
1990 establishments in Brazil
Protected areas of Amazonas (Brazilian state)