The Rio dos Frades Wildlife Refuge ( pt, Refúgio de Vida Silvestre do Rio dos Frades) is a
wildlife refuge
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 ...
in the state of
Bahia
Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and the 5th-largest b ...
, Brazil.
It protects the land around the mouth of the Frades River. There is pressure, or opportunity, to develop the reserve for tourism.
Location
The Rio dos Frades Wildlife Refuge is in the municipality of
Porto Seguro
Porto Seguro (, Safe Harbor in English), is a city located in the far south of Bahia, Brazil. The city has an estimated population of 150,658 (2020), covers , and has a population density of 52.7 residents per square kilometer. The area that inc ...
, Bahia.
It has an area of .
Nearby conservation units include the
Pau Brasil National Park to the north, and the
Monte Pascoal National Park
Monte Pascoal National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional e Histórico do Monte Pascoal) is a national park in the state of Bahia, Brazil.
Location
The National and Historical park is in the Atlantic Forest biome.
It covers an area of , of which overlap ...
and
Corumbau Marine Extractive Reserve to the south.
The reserve is within the Caraíva-Trancoso State Environmental Protection Area, defined on 24 November 2000.
The reserve has a buffer zone of .
Environment
The reserve is on a sandy coastal plain bounded by a cliff inland.
It is in the drainage basin of the
Frades River, and protects the mouth of the river.
Average annual rainfall is .
The vegetation is mainly ''
restinga'' salt marsh, with shrubs and thickets.
There are mangroves and many bromeliads and orchids.
There is an endemic lizard named ''
Cnemidophorus nativo''.
The reserve is threatened by construction on private properties, which cover most of the reserve, and by Buffalo incursions.
Tourism is being developed in the region, and the small beach at the river mouth may be attractive.
Tourism has potential economic value for the local residents.
The local people of Itaporanga use the reserve to access the beach and the river mouth for leisure and for fishing.
History
On 15 May 2006 the
(IBAMA) began public consultations on the proposed creation of the Rio dos Frades and
Una
Una and UNA may refer to:
Places
* 160 Una, the asteroid "Una", an asteroid named after the Faerie Queene character
* Una River (disambiguation), numerous rivers
* Una, Himachal Pradesh, a town in India
** Una, Himachal Pradesh Assembly constit ...
wildlife refuges, as well as the proposed expansion of the
Pau-Brazil
''Paubrasilia echinata'' is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. It is a Brazilian timber tree commonly known as Pernambuco wood or brazilwood ( pt, pau-de-pernambuco, ; ...
and
Descobrimento national parks and of the
Una Biological Reserve
Una Biological Reserve ( pt, Reserva Biológica de Una) is a Biological reserve in Brazil.
Location
The Una Biological Reserve, which is in the Atlantic Forest biome and covers , was created on 10 December 1980.
It became part of the Central At ...
.
The Rio dos Frades Wildlife Refuge was created by federal decree on 21 December 2007 with the basic objective of preserving natural ecosystems of great ecological relevance and scenic beauty, enabling scientific research, education and environmental interpretation and supporting recreation in contact with nature.
It is classed as
IUCN protected area category
IUCN protected area categories, or IUCN protected area management categories, are categories used to classify protected areas in a system developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The enlisting of such areas is par ...
III (natural monument or feature).
It is administered by the
Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation
The Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (Portuguese: ''Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade'', ICMBio) is the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment's administrative arm."Brazilian Federal Law 11.516/2007 (Por ...
.
It became part of the
Central Atlantic Forest Ecological Corridor
The Central Atlantic Forest Ecological Corridor ( pt, Corredor Central da Mata Atlântica is an ecological corridor in the states of Espírito Santo and Bahia, Brazil. It promotes improvements to connectivity between fragments of Atlantic Forest ...
, created in 2002.
The consultative council was created on 21 July 2011.
The consultative council included representatives of ICMBio and landowners, but the landowners were not actively participating due to lack of interest.
As of 2014 the reserve had no management plan and was therefore not open to visitors.
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rio dos Frades Wildlife Refuge
Wildlife refuges of Brazil
Protected areas of Bahia
2007 establishments in Brazil