The Macaé de Cima Environmental Protection Area () is a state-level environmental protection area in the state of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil. It protects an area of Atlantic Forest in the

Serra do Mar The Serra do Mar (; ) is a system of mountain ranges and escarpments in Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeastern Brazil. Geography The Serra do Mar runs parallel to the Atlantic Ocean coast from the state of Espírito Santo to southern Santa Ca ...

mountains.

Location

The Macaé de Cima Environmental Protection Area (APA) covers an area of . is in the southern part of the municipality of

Nova Friburgo Nova Friburgo (; ; ), commonly referred to as just Friburgo, is a List of municipalities in Rio de Janeiro, municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro in southeastern Brazil. It is located in the mountainous region, in th ...

, and is in the north of the municipality of Casimiro de Abreu. The APA adjoins the municipalities of

Macaé Macaé () is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, 180 km northeast of the state capital. It is the birthplace of the 13th president of Brazil, Washington Luís. Geography Location Macaé is generally consider ...

, Trajano de Morais, Bom Jardim, Cachoeiras de Macacu and Silva Jardim. It lies completely within the basin of the Macaé River. The RJ-142 highway between the cities of Nova Friburgo and Casimiro de Abreu runs through the APA beside the Macaé River. The APA overlaps with the Rio Bonito and Macaé de Cima municipal environmental protection areas and the Três Picos State Park. It is in the

Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic The Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic () is a Protected area mosaic (Brazil), protected area mosaic in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The mosaic is inland, to the east of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Histor ...

, created in 2006.

History

The Macaé de Cima Environmental Protection Area was created by state decree 29.213 of 14 September 2001. It was created to protect a remnant of the dense rainforest that once covered the entire

, which is home to rare, endangered or endemic native species, and to protect the headwaters of the Macaé de Cima,

Bonito Bonitos are a tribe of medium-sized, ray-finned, predatory fish in the family Scombridae, which it shares with the mackerel, tuna, and Spanish mackerel tribes, and also the butterfly kingfish. Also called the tribe Sardini, it consists of ...

, Das Flores and Santo Antônio rivers.

Environment

The terrain is mostly rugged, with altitudes that range from . The climate is wet, with average annual rainfall of . September is the driest month and December is the wettest. Vegetation is montane or submontane rainforest. Fauna found in the APA include the white-bearded antshrike (''Biatas nigropectus''),

sloth Sloths are a Neotropical realm, Neotropical group of xenarthran mammals constituting the suborder Folivora, including the extant Arboreal locomotion, arboreal tree sloths and extinct terrestrial ground sloths. Noted for their slowness of move ...

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...

(''Puma concolor''),

ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted Felidae, wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, Central and South America, ...

(''Leopardus pardalis''),

southern tamandua The southern tamandua (''Tamandua tetradactyla''), also called the collared anteater or lesser anteater, is a species of anteater from South America and the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. It is a solitary animal found in many habitats, from ...

(''Tamandua tetradactyla''), buffy-tufted marmoset (Callithrix aurita),

hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This ...

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

toucan Toucans (, ) are Neotropical birds in the family Ramphastidae. They are most closely related to the Semnornis, Toucan barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful Beak, bills. The family includes five genus, genera and over ...

howler monkey Howler monkeys (genus ''Alouatta'', monotypic in subfamily Alouattinae) are the most widespread primate genus in the Neotropical realm, Neotropics and are among the largest of the New World monkey, platyrrhines along with the muriquis (''Brachyte ...

capybara The capybara or greater capybara (''Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris'') is the largest living rodent, native to South America. It is a member of the genus '' Hydrochoerus''. The only other extant member is the lesser capybara (''Hydrochoerus isthmi ...

paca A paca ia a rodent in South and Central America. Paca or PACA may also refer to: People * William Paca (1740–1799), a Founding Father of the United States * Paca Blanco (Francisca Blanco Díaz, born 1949), Spanish activist * Paca Navas (Franc ...

armadillo Armadillos () are New World placental mammals in the order (biology), order Cingulata. They form part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are dis ...

, common agouti,

jaguarundi The jaguarundi (''Herpailurus yagouaroundi''; or ) is a wild felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its range extends from central Argentina in the south to northern Mexico, through Central America, Central and South America east of the Andes. T ...

and

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

Human activities

There are several places of natural beauty that the public uses for leisure and recreation, but generally they are in private areas. A considerable amount of research is conducted in the APA, particularly by the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden and Fluminense Federal University. The APA is suitable for tourism in contact with nature, bathing in the rivers and waterfalls, birdwatching and extreme outdoor sports such as kayaking, rafting, trekking, mountain biking, rappelling and tree climbing. Threats include real estate speculation, sewage, hunting, deforestation to expand pasturage, growth of banana cultivation and lack of communication.

Notes

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Macae de Cima Environmental Protection Area Environmental protection areas of Brazil Protected areas of Rio de Janeiro (state) 2001 establishments in Brazil