The Rio Curiaú Environmental Protection Area () is an environmental protection area in the state of

Amapá Amapá (; ) is one of the 26 federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil. It is in the North Region, Brazil, North Region of Brazil. It is Federative units of Brazil#List, the second-least populous state and the eighteenth-largest state by area ...

, Brazil. It attempts to protect the environment of a region of forest and flooded fields close to the state capital,

Macapá Macapá () is a city in Brazil with a population of 512,902 (2020 estimate), and is the capital of Amapá state in the country's North Region, Brazil, North Region, located on the northern channel of the Amazon Delta near its mouth on the Atlant ...

, and also to preserve the values and culture of the traditional population, which is of African descent. It is threatened by urban expansion.

Location

The Rio Curiaú Environmental Protection Area (APA) is in the municipality of

, Amapá, about from the city center, and has an area of . The Curiaú River, which gives its name to the APA, rises in the APA and flows southeast into the Amazon. The EAP-070 highway from Macapá runs through the APA from south to north. The APA is bounded to the east by the Amazon River, to the north by the Pescada stream and the road linking the EAP-070 highway to

BR-210 BR-210 is a federal highway of Brazil. The 411.7 kilometre road, popularly known as ' ("north perimeter"), is primarily located in the North Region, Brazil, Northern Brazilian state of Roraima, with other segments in Amazonas (Brazilian state), A ...

, to the west by the Amapá railroad, and to the south by an E-W line that divides it from the urban area of Macapá to the south.

History

One account says the settlement was founded about three centuries ago by a settler of African origin, Sr. Miranda, his wife and seven slaves, all brothers, who decided this would be a good place to raise cattle. Another says the Vila do Curiaú and other communities in the region were settled in the 18th century by slaves who revolted and fled from construction of the fortress of São José de Macapá. There may be truth in both stories, since escaped slaves may have found refuge with the original settlers. The traditional population of ''

quilombola A ''quilombola'' () is an Afro-Brazilian resident of ''quilombo'' settlements first established by escaped slaves in Brazil. They are the descendants of Afro-Brazilian slaves who escaped from slave plantations that existed in Brazil until abol ...

s'' is of African descent. The APA was created by Amapá state decree 1417 of 28 September 1992, and by decree 1418 the Vila do Curiaú was recognized as Cultural Heritage of Amapá due to the popular culture of the African Brazilians in the communities. The goal was to prevent damage to the ecosystems of the Curiaú River basin due to the unplanned urban expansion of Macapá, and to preserve the social values and culture of the ''

quilombo A ''quilombo'' (); from the Kimbundu word , ) is a Brazilian hinterland town, settlement founded by people of Afro-Brazilians, African origin, and others sometimes called Carabali. Most of the inhabitants of quilombos, called quilombolas, were ...

'' residents. On 15 September 1998 law 0431 repealed decree 1417 and recreated the Rio Curiaú APA with changed boundaries, reducing its area by about . The management board of the APA was created by state decree 3099 in 2001, and includes representatives of public authorities and of organized civil society. The APA was made part of the

Amapá Biodiversity Corridor The Amapá Biodiversity Corridor () is an ecological corridor in the state of Amapá, Brazil. It provides a degree of integrated management for conservation units and other areas covering over 70% of the state. Organization The project to esta ...

, created in 2003.

Environment

The

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

is Af (humid tropical). Average annual temperatures are around and average annual rainfall about . Relative humidity averages 85%. Vegetation includes '' várzea'' and ''

cerrado The Cerrado () is a vast ecoregion of Tropics, tropical savanna in central Brazil, being present in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Paraná ...

'' forests and fields. The Curiaú River basin is about of which about 40% is in the APA. The river is influenced by tides and by storms. It runs through the center of the APA in the region of flooded fields, which are completely flooded for much of the year. There are three soil types,

oxisol Oxisols are a soil order in USDA soil taxonomy, best known for their occurrence in tropical rain forest within 25 degrees north and south of the Equator. In the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB), they belong mainly to the ferrals ...

gleysol A gleysol or gley soil is a hydric soil that unless drained is saturated with groundwater for long enough to develop a characteristic colour pattern. The pattern is essentially made up of reddish, brownish, or yellowish colours at surfaces of so ...

and

alluvial Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

soil. Oxisols, mostly associated with the ''

'' ecosystem, cover about 44% of the APA in flat or gently rolling terrain. They are poorly drained, high in clay and low in fertility. The gleysols are found in the '' várzea'' forest and flooded fields, covering 43% of the APA. They have poor drainage but constantly receive fresh sediments during periods of flooding, and are suitable for growing rice and natural pastures. Alluvial soils cover 6% of the APA in the gallery forest environment, and have good fertility.

Economy

The Vila do Curiaú is considered a Historical and Ecological Site. The main economic activities are subsistence agriculture and plant and animal extraction. As of 1999 there were about 1,500 people in five communities, Curiaú de Dentro, Curiaú de Fora, Casa Grande, Curralinho and Mocambo. Rapid population growth in Macapá is causing the urban area to extend into the APA. The communities are responding to economic and cultural pressures by abandoning their traditional occupations and knowledge in favor of other ways of making a living.

Notes

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rio Curiau Environmental Protection Area Environmental protection areas of Brazil Protected areas of Amapá 1992 establishments in Brazil Quilombo