Research

Introduction

 The 275 ha Janaina Natural Reserve preserves a significant tract of lowland Bahian Atlantic forest in a region that has suffered from intensive logging and land clearing since the 16^th century. These are among the most species rich forests in the world and because so little of the original forest remains, it is vital that the remnant forests are protected as quickly as possible. The Janaina Natural Reserve was established for this reason and now forms part of a growing network of private, state, and federal reserves designed to protect critical conservation areas in Bahia. The Janaina Reserve lies between the Conduru State Park south of the Rio de Contas and the Michelin Ecological Reserve  further north filling in a gap that was unrepresented in the reserve network. Today, with guards patrolling the forest and an amicable dialogue with the neighbors, the reserve is protected and the flora and fauna that suffered prolonged depredations in the past are starting to recover. In addition to three blocks of primary forest in good condition, the forest supports several endemic and endangered animal species such as the yellow-breasted capuchin monkey (Cebus xanthosternos) and the red-billed curassow (Crax blumenbachi), the latter recently seen in this region for the first time in decades. 

Geography

 The Janaina Natural Reserve lies along the Pinheiro River 3-5 km north of the Rio de Contas and 3.7 km south of the Ubaitaba/Maraú road. The region is one of low hills (40-140 m) with steep slopes and abundant streams that wind along the base of the hills. This used to be a cabruca cacao (traditional agroforestry system in which native rainforest trees are left to shade the cacao trees) and cattle region, but the witch’s broom fungus wrecked the cacao industry and the region was probably never very good for cattle and today the rural economy is in decadence with both cacao groves and pastures largely abandoned. People have always cultivated manioc and this continues to be the principal subsistence crop, but farmers also plant small groves of cacao, rubber, guarana, cloves and other tree crops on smallholder farms and some people still rear small herds of cattle. Nonetheless, most people have left the region and as the rural exodus does not appear to have reached its nadir, it is likely that land will continue to be abandoned in the coming years. Because of this rural crisis, more than 60% of the landscape surrounding the reserve is covered in forest, albeit overwhelmingly secondary forest much of which is young bush dominated by the most common pioneer species. There are still scattered remnants of mature forest tucked away in the hills on the steepest hill slopes and hilltops but these are rare and dispersed among the young secondary forests and farmlands. 

 

The Janaina Natural Reserve was created by piecing together various properties along the Pinheiro River and the surrounding hills. Historically part of the property was used for cattle rearing, manioc cultivation, and cacao groves, but today the only agricultural activity is the cultivation of cacao using the traditional cabruca system. These groves occupy 30 ha in the southern central part of the property. The areas formerly used for manioc and pasture were abandoned and are reverting to forest and these young secondary forests dominated by pioneer species account for some 60% of the reserve’s forest. The mature stands of primary forest occupy approximately 110 ha (40% of the forest cover) with the largest block in the southern section of the property and two smaller blocks in the northern section.  There are 14 major streams feeding into the Pinheiro River and there are cattail wetlands along the river and major streams, one particularly large wetland occupying several hectares in the center of the property. The neighbors are mostly smallholders living scattered throughout the countryside and overall the population density is low. 

The forests

 The best stands of primary forest are separated into three blocks: one on the northernmost hill that covers some 30 ha; one on the northwestern corner of the property not far from the visitor’s house that covers several hectares; and the largest block that occupies the steep slopes of two hills in the extreme southern end of the property that has at least 65 ha. The tree community is rich and has all of the species typically found in well preserved evergreen lowland rain forests in southern Bahia including: oiti (Licania sp.), gindiba (Sloanea sp.), pau roxo (Peltogyne sp.), sucupira (Diplotropis sp.), conduru (Brosimum sp.), piqui (Caryocar sp.), maçaranduba (Manilkara sp.) and other Sapotaceaes, juerana (Parkia pendula), imbiruçu (Eriotheca spp.), pua oleo (Copaifera sp.), bicuiba (Virola sp.), sapucaias (Lecythidaceae species), and many others. Of the palms, the much coveted and over-exploited jussara (Euterpe edulis) is fairly common, buri (Polyandrococos sp.) occurs along the waterways, and pati (Syagrus sp.) thrives throughout. The forest profile is one of a fairly continuous growth of trees with few areas of clear stratification and an upper canopy reaching 20-40 m. The understory is easy to move through other than in certain areas where the bamboo is particularly dense. Bromeliads are abundant, including the giant gravatas, and ancient lianas drape the largest trees. The most intact parts of these groves are on the steepest hillsides and it is common that the trees are smaller on the flatter hill tops where access was easier for timber men, but there are no recent signs of logging.

 

Part of the reserve forests are secondary forests (known locally as capoeiras) generally minor of 30 years old growing on abandoned agricultural and pastoral lands. These capoeiras are typically composed of a dense continuous vegetation of thin stemmed trees with a deep humus layer of rotting leaves and tiririca grasses are common in the younger forests. In several places, especially on hill tops one still finds small groves of primary forest trees isolated in the capoeiras, sometimes with an old-growth tree or two, and with the seeds of these primary forest trees being dispersed by wildlife into the surrounding younger forests, the process of forest succession is clearly underway. 

The wildlife

 While the reserve still awaits a comprehensive wildlife census, preliminary investigations reveal a largely intact mammalian fauna and several hundred species of birds. The wildlife present includes: 

 

 

Species	English name	Local name
Cebus xanthosternos	Yellow-breasted capuchin monkey	Macaco-de-bando; macaco-prego-de-peito-amarelo
Callicebus melanochir	Bahian masked titi monkey	Guigó
Callithrix penicillata	Tuft-eared marmoset monkey	Mico; Nico
Potos flavus	Kinkajou	Jupará
Nasua nasua	South American coatimundi	Quati
Eira barbara	Tayra	Papamel
Lontra longicaudis	Southern river otter	Lontra
Procyon cancrivorus	Crab-eating raccoon	Guará; gauxinim
Puma concolor	Puma, mountain lion	Sussuarana; onça-parda
Puma yaguarondi	Jaguarondi	Gato-mourisco
Leopardus tigrinus	Oncilla; little spotted cat	Gato-momona; gato-momonha
Leopardus wiedii	Margay cat	Gato-maracajá
Cerdocyon thous	Crab-eating fox	Raposa
Mazama americana	Red brocket deer	Veado
Pecari tajacu	Collared peccary	Caitetu; catetu; catitu
Hydrochoeris hydrochaeris	Capybara	Capivara
Cuniculus paca.	Paca	Paca
Dasyprocta aguti	Red-rumped agouti	Cutia
Sphiggurus insidiosus	Bahian dwarf hairy porcupine	Ouriço-amarelo; Luis-caxeiro
Chaetomys subspinosus	Bristle-spined porcupine	Ouriço-preto
Sciurus aestuans	Guinanan squirrel	Papacoco; esquilo
Dasypus novemcinctus	Long-nosed nine-banded armadillo	Tatu-verdadeiro
Dasypus septemcinctus	Long-nosed seven-banded armadillo	Tatuí
Euphractus sexcinctus.	Yellow armadillo	Tatu-peba
Cabassous unicinctus	Naked-tailed armadillo	Tatu-de-rabo-mole; tatu rabo-de-couro
Tamandua tetradactylus	Tamandua anteater	Tamanduá
Bradypus torquatus	Collared sloth	Preguiça
Sylvilagus brasiliensis	Brazilian rabbit; tapiti	Coelho
Didelphis aurita.	Southeastern common opossum	Sariguê, saruê, sariguê-preto
Didelphis albiventris	White-eared opossum	Sariguê, saruê, sariguê-de-orelha-rala
Ramphastos vitellinus	Channel-billed toucan	Tucano, tucano-verdadeiro
Pteroglossus aracari	Black-necked aracari	Bilisco, araçarí
Penelope superciliaris	Rusty-margined guan	Jacu
Ortalis aracua	Araquan chachalaca	Aracuã
Crax blumenbachi	Red-billed curassow	Mutum
Tupinambis sp.	Tegu lizard	Teiú

 

 

 

Several wildlife species were extirpated from the region decades ago. These include the jaguar (Panthera onca), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), and the lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris). 

 

 

Kevin M. Flesher, Ph.D.

Research Director

Center for Biodiversity Studies

Michelin Ecological Reserve

Igrapiúna, Bahia, Brasil

 

kevinmflesher@yahoo.com.br