The Tupé Sustainable Development Reserve () is a
sustainable development reserve (RDS) in the state of
Amazonas, Brazil.
Location
The Tupé Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS) is west of the city of
Manaus
Manaus () is the List of capitals of subdivisions of Brazil, capital and largest city of the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas. It is the List of largest cities in Brazil, seventh-largest city in Brazil, w ...
, on the north bank of the
Rio Negro about from the urban area. It includes the communities of Livramento, Julião, Central, Tatu, São João do Lago do Tupé and Agrovida.
It has an area of .
Vegetation includes
igapó
(, from Tupi language, Old Tupi: "root forest") is a word used in Brazil for Blackwater river, blackwater-flooded forests in the Amazon biome. These forests and similar swamp forests are seasonally inundated with freshwater. They typically occur ...
and
terra firma forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological functio ...
dominated by large trees.
Tupé beach is a sand bar at the mouth of the Tupé stream where it enters the Rio Negro.
The beach, which can only be accessed by boat, varies in width from depending on the river's water level.
It provides an excellent place for swimming, diving and boating, and receives many visitors on weekends and holidays.
As of 2016 the population was about 5,000.
Residents say SEMMAS, the municipal environmental authority, prohibits planting crops or harvesting wood for construction.
However, SEMMAS states that family-based agriculture and fishing are allowed.
Efforts to develop ecotourism have not been encouraged.
There are vacation homes in the reserve, mostly owned by wealthy entrepreneurs from Manaus, a source of friction with the residents.
History
The location was once home to indigenous people such as the Manaós, now extinct, and the Tarumã.
The present residents began to occupy the region in the 1970s.
In 1990 municipality declared Tupé Beach an
area of relevant ecological interest.
In 1995 municipal law 321 created the Tupé Environmental Unit.
The Tupé Sustainable Development Reserve was created in 2005 by municipal decree 8.044 to preserve the site and develop the communities through ecotourism and sustainable agriculture.
It is administered by SEMMAS (Secretaria Municipal de Meio Ambiente e Sustentabilidade), a department of the municipality of Manaus.
The purpose was to mitigate the environmental impacts of real estate speculation and illegal exploitation of the natural resources, and support sustainable development of the traditional residents, with emphasis on combating poverty.
A draft management plan was completed in 2008, but was not approved under the administrations of successive mayors.
The reserve became part of the
Lower Rio Negro Mosaic
The Lower Rio Negro Mosaic ( is a protected area mosaic in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. It coordinates between eleven conservation units of different types in the Amazon rainforest to the northwest of the state capital, Manaus.
Location
The L ...
, created in 2010.
As of 2016 the management plan, which would define zoning and rules of use and management of natural resources, had still not been issued. This meant that the residents could not legally hunt, fish or grow crops for sale, but largely rely on government payments and occupations such as making handicrafts for sale to tourists.
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tupe Sustainable Development Reserve
2005 establishments in Brazil
Sustainable development reserves of Brazil
Protected areas of Amazonas (Brazilian state)