Parque Nacional do Jaú _ Parques do Brasil

Near the equator, an extensive continental region gives rise to large masses of air loaded with humidity. In the middle of the largest tropical forest in the world, clouds of many kilometers in height form, generating torrential rains. The Amazon occupies a third of South America and presents an extraordinary network of rivers that are among the largest on Earth. In this immense area governed by water cycles, giant trees live for hundreds of years and there are mysteries that still challenge researchers. A place that seemed unattainable is now threatened, but remains fundamental to all life on the planet. The expedition began in the Black River, a caudal course of dark waters that later forms the Amazon River with the Solimões. In this stretch, it presents the archipelago of the Anavilhanas, one of the largest in the world, today a national park. But our destination is further ahead. In the state of the Amazon, between Novo Airão and Barcelos, is the Jaú National Park. Created in 1980, it has an area of 2,272,000 hectares. It protects one of the largest continuous areas of humid forests on the planet and houses the entire hydrographic basin of the Jaú River. Near the mouth, we walk along a short trail. Right at the beginning, we spot a brown-breasted capuchin. Further ahead, hidden in the vegetation, we see a spotted macaw and we find several flowering plants. In an area with many palm trees, we observe leafy trees. The sumaúmas stand out in the middle of this forest. The trail continues to the river, which presents in this stretch very old rock formations and sedimentary formations, eroded for millions of years. Near the shore, we find palm trees, such as the açaí and also species of palm trees, adapted to the flow of water. At the beginning of November, the river level is very low. At high tide, it rises several meters and leaves its mark on the trunk of the trees. In the cilia forest, a red-bellied surucuá female watches us, silent. From here to its main spring, the jaú is 300 kilometers long. On this route, it receives water from more than 1,500 streams. After climbing the river, we enter an igarapé and find a group of macaws. They live in family groups, formed by a couple and children of different generations. And they all participate in the creation and protection of the cubs, which are generated only by the male and the dominant female. In ravines along this territory, they build dams and establish community latrines. The populations of this animal face problems such as hunting, the pollution of rivers, overfishing and the construction of dams. At the mouth of the igarapé, we see a large sea bream. And a carrapateiro. We enter through the igarapé, which follows quietly and sinuously through the forest. Returning, we continue to climb the jaú and observe a beautiful seagull. In the park, more than 470 species of birds have already been recorded. Some are difficult to observe, such as the white-winged urutau, critically endangered. Others are even easy, like the araracangas, which we saw flying over the river in the less hot hours of the day. Climbing a little more, we reach one of the main affluents of the jaú. The carabinane marks the southern limit of the park and the border with the state park of Rio Negro, northern sector. At this time, with low water, the river presents slopes and jumps and we can only navigate to a certain point. On the opposite bank, we see a jungle urubu killing thirst. And we find plants with flowers, like the arapari. Soon after, the carabinane presents impressive jumps, which can only be observed at this time. When it gets full, the water covers everything. We continue on land, through the hígapó forest. Returning, we find a singular macuco. The unusual shape of the base gave the tree the nickname of forest lord. Passing the rocky stretch, we go sailing again. We return to the voice of the carabinane, which forms Lake Santo Antônio. Along it, millenary trees bloom from the surface of the water, the macacarecuias. Common in the floodplains of the park, they offer fruits that serve as food for various species of fish, being, therefore, of enormous importance for the ecology of these lakes. However, the long life of the species can be threatened by an implacable enemy, the climatic changes. They alter the flood regime and make the environmental conditions even more extreme for the species. On the way back, we observe a beautiful guinea fowl, which fed carefree. In the same tree, a group of black orubus awaited the end of the meal. In the middle of the river, we saw a very large animal, almost standing still. There was no doubt, it was an alligator. The species is exclusive to the Amazon region and can reach up to 6 meters in length and more than 300 kilos in weight. It inhabits rivers, streams, lakes and areas of varsity, but in our expedition, we found it swimming without moving, as if it took account of the area it was in. On the shore, we observed a royal grouse and a field andorinha. We entered a lake near the end of the afternoon. On an island, a fishing eagle vocalized. A small group of pink botus swam around. A river andorinha rested on a dry tree. At this point, we were able to observe the Igapó forest well. And we realized that it is well open, composed basically of trees, without many shrubs or shrubbery. The afternoon was coming to an end and the lake turned into a mirror. We returned, enjoying the last glimpses of light. The next day, we passed the Santo Antônio lake again and moved on. We entered a trail. In Serapilheira, we found a tiny leaf frog. It is almost impossible to differentiate it from this environment. Daytime and twilight, it sleeps at night in low plants. Shortly after, we arrived at a surprising place. In the middle of the Amazon forest, a slope on the rock provides us with a beautiful waterfall, the Itaubal Waterfall. We stopped for a while to contemplate this paradisiacal place. As soon as we left there, we noticed a movement at the top of the trees. It was a bunch of smelly monkeys. When they noticed the presence of the team, they quickly disappeared. When they feel safe, some monkeys can go down to the ground to look for food. In the park, more than nine species of primates have already been identified. Some of them we saw from afar and very quickly, such as the Bicó monkey, which mainly inhabits areas of Igapó. And the Cairara, which we observed in the Firm Land Forest. Others are much rarer and difficult to find, such as the Parauacu. Climbing the Jaú a little more, we came across a burned area. Affected by an accidental fire years ago, this place is still far from a full recovery. Forests in equatorial regions are particularly sensitive to impacts of this type. In addition to not being adapted to events like this, when the soil here is exposed to the sun and rain, it solidifies in such a way that it delays even more the recovery, which can take well over a century. In the morning, near the Jaú Foss, we entered another trail. In this forest, we came across a majestic tree. The chestnut tree can reach an exceptional height of 60 meters. On the ground, we found heavy hedges, which carry more than 50 chestnuts from Pará. One of the symbols of the Amazon can be threatened by the excess of harvest and deforestation. The trail intersperses sections of Firm Land with a large presence of palm trees, forming the sub-forest. And others that are flooded during the flood season. In this one, the palm tree is very visible. Composed of decomposing leaves, fungi, invertebrates and various microorganisms, it is a fundamental part of the life cycle of this forest. In this place, the photographic traps recorded several species of mammals. Some nocturnal, such as the apaca. Others diurnal, such as the queixadas, which are difficult to be seen at this time. And the caititus. Leaving the Jaú, we entered the Rio Negro, a course of water so wide that we could not see the opposite bank. Emerging from the dark waters at this time of year, a long strip of clear sand emerges. In the region of the low Rio Negro, the sand banks that form when the water level of the river is low are called beaches. This is the old one, used as a reservoir by several species. The sand exposed to the equatorial sun generates the necessary heat for the development of embryos in the eggs, which are chocked on the surface or just below it. Another advantage of these places is that by being surrounded by water and a little far from the banks, the number of potential egg and egg-laying predators decreases. Among the most frequent users are aquatic birds. One of them is the cuttlefish, locally known as cuttlefish. This bird has an unusual beak, but it is perfect for its main task. Flying close to the surface, it allows the capture of small fish and shrimp without the need for the animal to dive to get the prey. Our presence so close to the nests left the cuttlefish restless, evaluating the risk we were representing. Another bird that uses this place is the big trident. Much louder than the other and more active in scaring away intruders, it usually divides its nesting area with the cuttlefish, creating an advantageous temporary association for the safety of both species. Watching the birds, we are caught by surprise by the magnificent sunset. The next day, we left early in the morning to visit the largest sandbank in the Jaú National Park. When we reached our goal, the sun was still rising. The whiteness of the sand, the contrast it creates with the black river and its Amazonian dimension, makes the Maquipana beach a spectacular place. Like the old one, it is a fundamental place for the survival of various species. At least 11 different species of cuttlefish are found in the park, and some use environments like this to nest. Among them, the Amazonian turtle, the tracajá and the iaçá. The egg collection and the hunt are the main problems faced by these reptiles today. A little later, we found a inhabitant of these waters that uses the sandbanks to fish. The cuttlefish take advantage of the beach's geography to corner the fish. The largest freshwater dolphins in the world usually live alone, but they form sporadic groups to hunt and in mating seasons. Sometimes, these small groups are made up of a mother and her grown-up calf. The males are much larger than the females. The hunt to serve as a fishing bait and to reduce and degrade the environment in which they live threatens the cuttlefish, considered today in danger of extinction. We return through the black river, crossing canals that here are called Paranás. From afar, we saw a tree that stood out in the forest. Near the beach of Enseada, we found a sumaúma of spectacular size. Plants like this can reach more than 40 meters high. Its trunk is huge and we were small in front of the tree. Known as sapopema, the aerial root of this plant is so large that we found part of it more than 100 meters from the trunk, and this aerial section of the root is so thick that it is almost one meter high. We left it, observed by a peyote. The next morning, we went down to Boca do Jaú. In the stones along the bank, we observed petroglyphs, drawings carved on the stone. In the low black river, there are at least 24 sites like this. In these rocks, we found several human figures, in addition to geometric symbols. A form of communication and registration created by prehistoric populations, on difficult dates to define for sure. Some may have been carved in the colonial period, but several others show signs of having been made and redone many times over the centuries. We sailed from one site to another. In this place, some entrails are below the waterline, even now, in the dry period. It is likely that they have been produced more than 3,000 years ago, when the river was lower than it is today. The record of a period when the climate of the world was colder than it is now. Near the shore, several iguanas warmed up to the sun. In the middle of the reproductive period, the dominant male defends his territory in a female harem. Later, we went to another point of the Black River and reached the beach of Paraná do Loral. It began to get dark in the middle of the afternoon. Cloudy clouds foretold dramatic changes in time. First came the wind, which dragged everything that was loose. Then the rain fell hard. The vast Amazonian plain, covered by dense forests, produces a unique continental air mass. Hot and humid, it is enriched by winds, also humid, that come from the Atlantic Ocean. In the summer, the peak of this phenomenon occurs, generating currents towards the south of the continent. Carrying vast amounts of water, they are called floating rivers. Responsible for the strong summer rains that reach the southeast and the center-west of Brazil at this time, are fundamental to ensure the availability of water. Without them, much of the country would have a much drier climate, affecting agricultural productivity and the energy production of this vast region. The next day, we headed for another trail in the Jaú River. We passed through a stretch of firm-earth forest. Soon, the forest changed and changed its appearance. In the soil, acidic and poorer, the Campinarana emerges. Called the black river bed, this environment has large trees, very rare epiphytes and few vines. A species found here is the white breu. The tree, which is also found in firm-earth, produces a pleasant-smelling resin. In the Campinarana, special cameras reveal a jacamin of dark back and a painted jaguar. Next, we identified a palm tree known as boritirama. It is used as an anti-inflammatory by popular medicine. From the same family of boritirama, the caranã dominates the boritizais and the Campinaranas of the Jaú. Further on, the vegetation changes once again. In the bosom of the Amazon forest, we found a peculiar environment, the Campina. In it, the vegetation is lower and full of shrubs, with only one or another higher tree. Here it is common to find lichens, an association between fungi and algae. And we observed several species that we only found in this peculiar type of environment of the Amazon. The next morning, we followed the black river to another part of the park and we met the Unini river. This river has a peculiar feature and flows into a large lake, a phenomenon generated by geological processes that have occurred millions of years ago. Climbing the river, we spotted an antelope. Found by the riverside, it is at the top of the trees, waiting for possible prey, such as small reptiles and mammals, but it can also prey on quail eggs, as well as eat fruits. In this stretch of the river, the tucuxis were capturing fish. This little gray boto forms groups of up to six individuals, but it is common to see them in pairs or in the company of cubs. The population of tucuxis has been declining in recent times, as a result of environmental degradation and fishing. Today, the species is considered in danger of extinction. The Unini is connected to more than 2,500 lakes, which at the time of the floods overflow and become a single stream of water. In this expedition, we get to know a small piece of one of the most spectacular units on the planet, and reveal some secrets of a much talked about region, but little known, of fundamental importance for the climate of South America and the Earth. A giant place, unique, essential for the conservation of fantastic species and still little studied. A natural heritage of humanity, of the Amazon, and of all Brazilians.