Caverna do Maroaga Environmental Protection Area

The Caverna do Maroaga Environmental Protection Area is in the municipality of Presidente Figueiredo, Amazonas.

It has an area of {{convert|374700|ha}}.{{sfn|APA Caverna do Maroaga ... ISA|loc=Informações gerais}}

The APA protects the southwest shore of the reservoir of the Balbina Dam, covering the area between highway BR-174 and the reservoir, and including land on both sides of the AM-240 highway that leads from BR-174 to the dam structure in the south.

The Uatumã River, which drains the dam, forms the eastern boundary of the APA.

The Uatumã Biological Reserve protects the land on the northeast side of the reservoir.

The APA adjoins the Waimiri Atroari Indigenous Territory to the north.{{sfn|APA Caverna do Maroaga ... ISA|loc=Informações gerais (mapa)}}

The APA includes parts of the basins of the Urubu, Uatumã and Abonari rivers, and contains two sub-tributaries of the Pardo River, the Canoas and Canastra streams.{{sfn|Área de Proteção Ambiental Estadual Caverna do Maroaga – Via Rural}}

The Rio Urubu State Forest is to the south of the APA.{{sfn|APA Caverna do Maroaga ... ISA|loc=Informações gerais (mapa)}}

The Caverna do Maroaga Environmental Protection Area (APA) was created by state decree 12.836 of 9 March 1990.{{sfn|APA Caverna do Maroaga ... ISA|loc=Historico Juridico}}

The APA was created to preserve the speleological heritage of the municipality, with or without direct use by tourists.{{sfn|Leitão dos Reis|Rodríguez Tello|Fischer|2013|p=150}}

The boundaries were adjusted by decree 16.364 of 7 December 1994.{{sfn|APA Caverna do Maroaga ... ISA|loc=Historico Juridico}}

It became part of the Central Amazon Ecological Corridor, established in 2002.{{sfn|CEC Central da Amazônia – ISA |loc=Áreas relacionadas}}

The deliberative council was created on 1 January 2009, and its regulations were approved on 18 January 2010.{{sfn|APA Caverna do Maroaga ... ISA|loc=Historico Juridico}}

The caves in the area are in the oldest geological formation of the north of the Brazilian Amazon.

The cave that gives the APA its name is itself named after a Waimiri-Atroari leader who is said to have taken refuge there in the 1960s during construction of BR-174.

There is evidence of prehistoric people in the Maroaga cave.{{sfn|APA Caverna do Maroaga ... ISA|loc=Características}}

Vegetation is dense rainforest with emergent trees typical of terra firma.

There is also open campina forest and igapó forest.{{sfn|APA Caverna do Maroaga ... ISA|loc=Características}}

96% of the vegetation is dense rainforest, 3% open rainforest and 1% campinarana-rainforest contact.{{sfn|Área de Proteção Ambiental Estadual Caverna do Maroaga – Via Rural}}

Flora include species of orchids and bromeliads.{{sfn|APA Caverna do Maroaga ... ISA|loc=Características}}

There is a diverse vertebrate fauna including Guyanan red howler (Alouatta macconnelli), red-handed tamarin (Saguinus midas), jaguar (Panthera onca), margay (Leopardus wiedii), neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis), giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) and Guianan cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola rupicola).

The Guianan cock-of-the-rock is prized by wildlife traffickers.

The APA is notable for many species of bats.{{sfn|APA Caverna do Maroaga ... ISA|loc=Características}}

There are about 42 communities in the APA.

Agriculture is the main economic activity, including cultivation of banana, cassava, cocoa, rice, corn, cupuaçu and guaraná.

Other economic activities include cattle raising, logging, fishing and crafts for the Manaus market.

Commercially valuable tree species such as Hymenolobium petraeum, bay, cedar and mahogany are used in construction and furniture manufacturing.

The many waterfalls and caves in the APA make it attractive to tourists.{{sfn|APA Caverna do Maroaga ... ISA|loc=Características}}

The Porteira waterfall is a natural tourist attraction.{{sfn|Leitão dos Reis|Rodríguez Tello|Fischer|2013|p=151}}

There is no security, surveillance, lodgings or restaurants near the waterfalls that form the main tourist attractions, and some environmental damage is caused by the visitors.{{sfn|Leitão dos Reis|Rodríguez Tello|Fischer|2013|p=146}}

{{notes}}

{{reflist|30em}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{citation|ref={{harvid|APA Caverna do Maroaga ... ISA}}|language=Portuguese

|title=APA Caverna do Maroaga (Presidente Figueiredo)|publisher=ISA: Instituto Socioambiental

|url=https://uc.socioambiental.org/pt-br/uc/1709|access-date=2016-10-20}}

• {{citation|ref={{harvid|Área de Proteção Ambiental Estadual Caverna do Maroaga – Via Rural}}|language=Portuguese|title=Área de Proteção Ambiental Estadual Caverna do Maroaga|publisher=Via Rural|url=http://br.viarural.com/servicos/turismo/areas-de-protecao-ambiental/apa-caverna-do-maroaga/|access-date=2016-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021003036/http://br.viarural.com/servicos/turismo/areas-de-protecao-ambiental/apa-caverna-do-maroaga/|archive-date=2016-10-21|url-status=usurped}}
• {{citation|ref={{harvid|CEC Central da Amazônia – ISA}}|language=Portuguese

|title=CEC Central da Amazônia|publisher=ISA: Instituto Socioambiental

|url=https://uc.socioambiental.org/uc/10911|access-date=2016-10-17}}

• {{citation |title=Percepções do turismo em atrativos da APA Caverna do Maroaga, Presidente Figueiredo/AM

|last1=Leitão dos Reis|first1=João Rodrigo |first2=Julio César |last2=Rodríguez Tello |first3=Christina |last3=Fischer

|journal=Revista Turismo em Análise|publisher=USP|volume=24 |issue=1|year=2013

|url=http://www.revistas.usp.br/rta/article/view/64175/66862|issn=1984-4867|access-date=2016-10-20}}

{{refend}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caverna do Maroaga Environmental Protection Area}}

Category:Environmental protection areas of Brazil

Category:Protected areas of Amazonas (Brazilian state)

Category:1990 establishments in Brazil