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World Heritage Site

for World Heritage Travellers

Central Amazon Conservation Complex

Central Amazon Conservation Complex

The Central Amazon Conservation Complex comprises a landscape of rivers, islands, lakes and forests with high biodiversity.

Specific species include the varzea forest, electric fish, river dolphins, and manatees.

The site includes the following four parks:

- Jaú National Park

- Amana Sustainable Development Reserve

- Demonstration area of the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve

- Anavilhanas Ecological Station

Map of Central Amazon Conservation Complex

Legend

  • ●● Natural

Community Reviews

João Aender Campos Cremasco Brazil 25-Feb-13

During carnival this year, unlike most Brazilians, I opted not to party, but, instead, to reach Central Amazon Conservation Complex, the WHS Brazil dedicated to its largest bioma.

First stop is Manaus, a large 2-million people city situated in the heart of Amazon forest. After that, with a rental car one must drive 200 km (paved roads in good condition) to a town called Novo Airão, from where you can easily visit the Anavilhanas National Park (it is no longer an Ecological Station since 2008). Anavilhanas comprises an average of 400 river islands and islets, depending on the dry or wet season. All of them are located within the Rio Negro (Black River), the largest blackwater river in the world and one of the most important tributary rivers of Amazon River.

Truly amazing! Rio Negro has pure and tepid waters, black-tea-like coloured, very good for bathing. If you have luck, one might sight a "boto rosa" (pink freshwater dolphin), one of the symbols of Amazon forest.

From Novo Airão, one can also reach another protected area of the WHS: Jaú National Park. It is the largest national park in Brazil and one of the largest in the world. Jaú has approximately the same size of Belgium.

3 hours in a boat are necessary to reach the park entrance and prior visiting authorisation is required. I opted not to sleep withing the forest - which is what some people do to have more time to visit the NP -, but still, I could have a good idea of this enourmous and virgin slice of the Amazon Forest.

I was truly overwhelmed by this WHS.

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Community Rating

Community Rating 5.00. Based on 1 votes.

Site Info

Full name: Central Amazon Conservation Complex

Unesco ID: 998

Inscribed: 2000

Type: Natural

Criteria: 9   10  

Link: By Name By ID

Site History

  • 2003 - Extended Extension of Jaú National Park, to include: the Amana Sustainable Development Reserve, the Demonstration area of the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve and the Anavilhanas Ecological Station
  • 2003 - Name change From "Jaú National Park" to "Central Amazon Conservation Complex"
  • 2000 - Inscribed 

Locations

The site has 2 locations.

  • Central Amazon Conservation Complex: Anavilhanas Ecological Station
  • Central Amazon Conservation Complex: Jau National Park, Amana Sustainable Development Reserve and Demonstration Area of Mamiraua Sustainable Development Reserve

Connections

The site has 29 connections.

Constructions

Ecology

  • Turtles and tortoises: Yellow-footed tortoise plus 10 freshwater turtles
  • Rainforests
  • Notable examples of multiple speciation in one site: "The water bodies existing in these reserves (Mamirau? and Amana)contain 64 species of electric fishes in seven families, including 3 species new to science, which represent the highest known diversity of this unique group of organisms in the world, with a level of radiation and adaptation akin to that of cichlids in the Rift Valley of Africa"
  • Crocodiles
  • Otters
  • Endemic Bird Species: Amazon flooded forest, Jaú National Park: Chestnut-headed Nunlet (Nonnula amaurocephala), Klages's Antwren (Myrmotherula klagesi) Link
  • River Dolphins: Amazonian River Dolphin " Expansion of the site also enhance the protection of key threatened species including .... two species of river dolphin." (AB for 2003 extension). But IUCN now only recognises 1 species of Amazonian River Dolphin with 3 sub species  Link
  • Siraneans: Amazonian manatee "Numerous species of global conservation concern live within Jau NP, including .....Amazonian Manatee," and Anavilhanas "Here it is easy to see spectacular ildlife, including ...manatees" (AB)
  • Salamanders: 3 species of worm-salamanders
  • Tapirs: Brazilian tapir
  • Sloths: brown-throated sloth, two-toed sloth
  • Anteaters: giant anteater, silky anteater, southern tamandua
  • High-Biodiversity Wilderness Area: Amazonia
  • Jaguar habitat

Geography

Individual People

Timeline

  • Pliocene: Aufgrund der damit verbundenen Sperrung des Abflusses kehrte sich vor circa 10 bis 15 Millionen Jahren der Flusslauf um. Weil aber zunächst im Zentrum des Amazonasbeckens eine Hebung stattfand, geschah dies in zwei Phasen: Während die Osthänge bereits über einen Amazonas-Vorläufer in den Atlantik entwässerten, bildeten sich auf der Westseite riesige Binnenseen, deren Ablagerungen heute großenteils den Untergrund der Terra firme ausmachen. Erst als diese Seen nach rund fünf Millionen Jahren ebenfalls nach Osten entwässerten, konnte sich das heutige Flussnetz entwickeln. (Wiki)

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