Central Amazon

Threatened freshwater dolphins are protected within the Central Amazon Conservation Complex.
Photograph by Kevin Schafer, National Geographic
Site: Central Amazon Conservation Complex
Location: Brazil
Year Designated: 2003
Category: Natural
Criteria: (ix)(x)
Reason: These tropical forests in the heart of the Amazon basin are some of the most biodiverse
areas on Earth and home to many species found nowhere else.
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The verdant green forests of the Amazon Basin cover an area larger than Texas. And the largest
protected area within this vast and vital ecosystem is the Central Amazon Conservation Complex
a sprawling 23,000-square-mile (6-million-hectare) site that is itself bigger than Switzerland.

The Amazon is one of the most biodiverse places on the entire planet. It's particularly rich in
freshwater speciesincluding more than 3,000 different fish species and the worlds largest variety
of electric fish. The region is also home to unique and threatened South American species, including
the giant arapaima fish, the Amazonian manatee, the black caiman, and two species of river dolphin.
Within the enormous Central Amazon Conservation Complex several distinct, smaller entities house
their own unique environments. Mamirau Reserves vrzea ecosystem is a landscape of seasonally
flooded forests, floodplains, and swamps where the white water is actually yellowish in color due
to suspended sediments.
Each year the Amazonwhich is so large its system contains 20 percent of Earths freshwater
and its tributaries rise as much as 30 feet (9 meters) to replenish floodplain soils and nutrients and
recharge lakes and ponds. Fish, reptiles, and other aquatic species take advantage of this cyclical
occurrence to move into newly flooded areas and exploit their resources until the waters subside.
(Some fish, for example, are known to eat fruit from forest trees.)
Ja National Parks igap (blackwater) drainage is a flooded ecosystem of low, thin trees named
for the dark color its water acquires from decomposing organic matter.
While the Amazon is famed for these flooded forests, lakes, and channels, the region is also home
to dry tropical forests.
But some of those trees are targeted by logging operations, which, along with mining and the
conversion of clear lands to ranching or agriculture, constitute serious threats to the long-term
future of the Amazon Basin. Although rules are in place to protect the Central Amazon
Conservation Complex and other areas from inappropriate uses, they can be extremely difficult to
enforce.
How to Get There
Rivers, not roads, are the transportation hubs in this region, and most of the few visitors to the
Central Amazon Conservation Complex arrive by boat, employing everything from canoes to
speedboats. Manaus and Tef are two popular gateway communities for such adventures.
When to Visit
The Amazon is hot and humid all year, so the main seasonal consideration is rainfall. Rain (and
river levels) reach their low ebb in November, then begin to build toward annual maximums in June
and July.
How to Visit
A visit to this area offers a chance to explore a vast wilderness largely untrammeled by tourist
infrastructure. Most tourist access is regulated by the government, however, and independent travel
can be a challenge. Visitors typically book boat tours and many stay in local ecolodge camps.