|
Our
Region at a Glance
The CILSJ’s Region has an area of
3,825 sq km (click
here to see
the map), covering all or portions of 12
local municipalities (Araruama, Armação dos
Búzios, Arraial do Cabo, Cabo Frio, Cachoeira
de Macacu, Casimiro de Abreu, Iguaba Grande,
Rio Bonito, Rio das Ostras, São Pedro da Aldeia,
Saquarema and Silva Jardim) and 8%
of the Rio de Janeiro state territory where
520,00 people live, the majority of them in
urban areas. The Region
encompasses five catchment areas
(São João River;
Ostras River; Una River-Cape Búzios; Saquarema,
Jacarepiá and Jaconé Lagoons and Araruama
Lagoon-Cape Frio) and a coast of 193
km long.
Location:
Brazil, Southeast
Region, Rio de Janeiro State, 90
km east of Rio de Janeiro City.
Limits
of the Region:
|
To
the north:
|
Macaé
river watershed
|
|
To
the northeast:
|
Imboassica
lagoon watershed
|
|
To
the northwest and west:
|
Guanabara
Bay watershed
|
|
To
the southwest:
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Marica
lagoon watershed
|
|
To
the south and east:
|
Atlantic
Ocean
|
Geographic
coordinates:
|
Latitude:
22°25'' e 23°57'' S
|
Longitude:
42°40" e 41°50" W
|
Time
Zone: GMT-6
Brazil
Watershed Classification System:
Brazil
has been organized into 12 major
drainage basins: Amazon, Tocantins-Araguaia,
Paraná, Paraguai, Uruguai, Parnaiba, São Francisco,
Occidental Atlantic Northeast, Oriental Atlantic
Northeast, Atlantic East, Atlantic Southeast
and Atlantic South (See detail: http://www.ana.gov.br/).
The CILSJ’s Region
is located in the Atlantic Southeast
Drainage Basins, sub-basin SB-59.
Map
of the Sub-Basin 59
Source:
ANA (National Water Agency)
Brazilian
Biomes and Ecoregions: Brazil
is comprised of 7 biomes and 78 terrestrial
ecozones. The CILSJ region is located in the
Atlantic Rain Forest Biome.
Map
of Brazilian Biomes and Ecoregions:
 Source:
IBAMA
|
Rio
de Janeiro State Ecoregions: According
to the Decree 26,058 / 2000, the Rio
de Janeiro State is comprised of 7 ecoregions
(Macrorregiões Ambientais - MRA). The
CILSJ’s region is known as MRA-4.
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Population:
Nearly 520,000 full-time residents
and more than 1,2 million during summer season.
Municipalities:
Araruama, Armação dos Búzios, Arraial do Cabo,
Cabo Frio, Cachoeira de Macacu, Casemiro de
Abreu, Iguaba Grande, Rio Bonito, Rio das
Ostras, São Pedro da Aldeia, Saquarema, Silva
Jardim and Maricá.
Geographical
Dimension:
|
Area
|
total:
3.825 sq km land:
3.515 sq km
water:
310 sq km islands: 11 sq
km
|
|
Terrestrial
Perimeter
|
182
km
|
|
Length
of coastline
|
193
km
|
|
Islands
Coastline
|
50
km
|
|
Greatest
distance east to west
|
77
km
|
|
Greatest
distance north to south
|
60
km
|
|
Northernmost
point
|
Aldeia
Velha river headwaters
|
|
Southernmost
point
|
Cabo
Frio Island
(Focinho do Cabo headland)
|
|
Easternmost
point
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Âncora
Island
|
|
Westernmost
point
|
Negra
headland
|
|
Northernmost
community
|
Aldeia
Velha Village
|
|
Southernmost
community
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Arraial
do Cabo City
|
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Easternmost
community
|
Armação
dos Búzios City
|
|
Westernmost
community
|
Rio
Bonito City
|
|
Largest
river
|
São
João (120 km)
|
|
Largest
lake
|
Araruama
(220 sq km)
|
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Largest
island
|
Cabo
Frio Island
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Source:
CILSJ - 2003
Elevation
extremes:
highest
point: Pedra
do Faraó 1,719m
lowest
point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Hydrography
Hydrographic
Regions and Largest River
There
are 5 hydrographic regions (click here
to see the map), as showed in the table below. The
watershed boundaries do not coincide with
local municipal boundaries.
|
Hydrographic
Region
|
Area
(sq.
km)
|
Municipalities
|
|
Saquarema,
Jaconé e Jacarepiá lagoons
|
310
|
Saquarema
e Maricá
|
|
Araruama
lagoon and Cape Frio
|
572
|
Araruama,
Arraial do Cabo, Cabo Frio, Iguaba Grande,
São Pedro da Aldeia, Saquarema e Rio
Bonito.
|
|
Una
River and Cape Búzios
|
626
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Cabo
Frio, Iguaba Grande, São Pedro da Aldeia,
Araruama e Armação dos Búzios
|
|
São
João river
|
2160
|
Cachoeiras
de Macacu, Rio Bonito, Casimiro de Abreu,
Araruama, São Pedro da Aldeia, Cabo
Frio, Rio das Ostras e Silva Jardim.
|
|
Ostras
river
|
157
|
Rio
das Ostras e Casimiro de Abreu
|
|
TOTAL
|
3.825
|
|
Source:
CILSJ
The
river system with the largest drainage area
is the São João River. Other large watercourses
include:
·
Bacaxá and Capivari
rivers;
·
Tributaries of the São João river,
such as Aldeia Velha, Dourado, Bananeiras,
Pirineus, Maratuã, Indaiaçu and Lontra rivers;
·
Tributaries of the Bacaxá and Capivari
rivers, such as Ouro, Vermelho, Catimbau Grande,
Boa Esperança, Jaguaripe, Piripiri and Onças
rivers.
·
Una river
and its tributaries - Papicu and Frecheiras
rivers;
·
Ostras river
and its source streams - Iriri e Jundiá rivers;
·
Moças and
Mataruna rivers (Araruama lagoon watershed);
·
Roncador
or Mato Grosso, Tingui, Mole, Jundiá, Seco,
Padre and Bacaxá river (Saquarema lagoon
watershed);
Because
of their small areas, the watersheds have low
hydraulic retention time. Streams
and rivers were channelized, the
São João was dammed, artificial
channels built elsewhere and large tree and
riparian vegetation removed mostly
for gaining land for development, eliminating
diseases such as malaria and to promote agriculture
in floodplains,
prevent floods and irrigate fields. As result,
we have lost
thousands of hectares of wetlands, riparian
forests and habitats
for fish and other wildlife along the former
floodplains and rivers.
Click
in the links below to obtain further information:
Saquarema,
Jaconé e Jacarepiá Lagoons Hydrographic Region
Araruama
Lagoon and Cape Frio
Hydrographic Region
Una
River and Cape Búzios
Hydrographic Region
São
João River Hydrographic Region
Ostras
River Hydrographic Region
Lagoons
There
are 38 lagoons in the region, largely formed
during the last Holocene sea-level highstand
about 5,500 years ago. The main lagoons, in
order of the surface area, are Araruama, Saquarema,
Jaconé, Vermelha, Pernambuca, Jacarepiá and
Geribá. Araruama,
one of the largest
hypersaline lagoon in the world, has
an area of 220 sq. km. Saquarema
takes up 24 sq km,
Jaconé 4 sq km and Vermelha 2,5 sq km.
The lagoons are shallow, ephemeral systems
that responds to short term changes in meteorological
forcing, river runoff events, tides, and temperature
oscillations, with variations in lateral advenction
and vertical mixing of wates masses, frequent
resuspenction of superficial sediments, turbidity
gradients, an light regimes.
Lagoons
are tremendous natural resource which contribute
significantly to the health, quality of life,
wealth and prosperity of the inhabitants of
the CILSJ region.
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#
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Lagoons
and Lakes
|
Municipalities
|
|
1
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Jaconé
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Maricá
e Saquarema
|
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2
|
Saquarema
(Urussanga ou Mombaça, Jardim, Boqueirão
e de Fora ou Saquarema Lagoons)
|
Saquarema
|
|
3
|
Marrecas
|
Saquarema
|
|
4
|
Nova
|
Saquarema
|
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5
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Mutum
Wetland
|
Saquarema
|
|
6
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Jacarepiá
|
Saquarema
|
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7
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Ipitangas
|
Saquarema
|
|
8
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Jaconé
Pequena
|
Saquarema
|
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9
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Vermelha
|
Saquarema
e Araruama
|
|
10
|
Araruama
|
Saquarema,
Araruama, Iguaba Grande, São Pedro da
Aldeia, Arraial do Cabo e Cabo Frio
|
|
11
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Pitanguinha
|
Araruama
|
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12
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Pernambuca
|
Araruama
|
|
13
|
Lakes
of Pau-Fincado, Espinho, Grande e Mosquito
Wetlands
|
Arraial
do Cabo (Restinga de Massambaba)
|
|
14
|
Azul
|
Arraial
do Cabo (Restinga de Massambaba)
|
|
15
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Prainha
ou Verde
|
Arraial
do Cabo
|
|
16
|
Beber
|
Arraial
do Cabo
|
|
17
|
Barra
Nova
|
Arraial
do Cabo
|
|
18
|
Meio
|
Cabo
Frio
|
|
19
|
Rasa
|
Cabo
Frio
|
|
20
|
Última
|
Cabo
Frio
|
|
21
|
Lake
of Duna Dama Branca Wetland
|
Cabo
Frio
|
|
22
|
Peró
|
Cabo
Frio
|
|
23
|
Praia
de Caravelas
|
Armação
dos Búzios
|
|
24
|
Canto
|
Armação
dos Búzios
|
|
25
|
Ferradura
|
Armação
dos Búzios
|
|
26
|
Geribá
|
Armação
dos Búzios
|
|
27
|
Ossos
ou da Usina
|
Armação
dos Búzios
|
|
28
|
Lake
of Helena Wetland
|
Armação
dos Búzios
|
|
29
|
Lake
of Vinvím Wetland
|
Armação
dos Búzios
|
|
30
|
Lake
of Tucuns Wetland
|
Armação
dos Búzios
|
|
31
|
Lake
of Rasa Wetland
|
Armação
dos Búzios
|
|
32
|
Lake
of Fazendinha Wetland
|
Armação
dos Búzios
|
|
33
|
Lakes
of Una Wetlands
|
Cabo
Frio e Armação dos Búzios
|
|
34
|
Juturnaíba
|
Silva
Jardim (EXTINT)
|
|
35
|
Ipuca
|
Casemiro
de Abreu
|
|
36
|
Iriri
(Coca-Cola, Iodada or Doce)
|
Rio
das Ostras
|
|
37
|
Salgada
|
Rio
das Ostras
|
|
38
|
Itapebussus
|
Rio
das Ostras
|
Source:
CILSJ - 2003
Water
Use
Withdrawal
uses (municipal, agricultural, industrial,
mining and salt
production) and instream use (freshwater
fisheries, water transport, wildlife, recreation
and wastewater disposal).
Water
Supply and Sewage
The
water supply and sewage systems are operated
by two private companies (Águas de Juturnaíba
and Prolagos) and the Rio de Janeiro state-owned
company (CEDAE). The private companies have
full concession since May 98. Águas
de Juturnaíba operates in Araruama, Saquarema
and Silva Jardim municipalities, whereas Prolagos
runs in Iguaba Grande São Pedro da Aldeia,
Arraial do Cabo, Búzios and Cabo Frio municipalities.
Formerly
the existing systems were operated by CEDAE,
with several problems, such as: shortage of
water during the summer vacation time, when
population almost doubles; high percentage
of unaccounted for water, around 45%; almost
60% of the consumers did not pay their bills,
as the service used to be inadequate, particularly
at vacation time and holidays; less than 20%
of the dwellings were connected to a sewage
system. Untreated wastewater has polluted
the Araruama and the Saquarema Lakes. Águas
de Juturnaiba and Prolagos are building the
sewage
collection system and treatment plants.
Investiments reach $26 million from 2003 to
2005. CEDAE operates the systems in three
municipalities (Rio das Ostras, Rio Bonito
and Cachoeira de Macacu).
Climate
The
distribution of rainfall in the region exhibits
a strong seasona1 and spatial variation, which
is linked to the macroscale climatic pattern
and, especially also, regional mesoscale features,
such as coastal Upwelling and the steepness
and altitude of the drainage basin relief.
A continental Equatorial air mass prevails
during summer, an Atlantic Tropical air mass
during the rest of the year; and Atlantic
Polar fronts, frequently reach the coast,
especially during the spring. In general,
the annua1 rainfall totals increase from southeast
to northwest, from 823 mm in the vicinity
of Cabo Frio to a maximum rate of 2.500 mm.
Coastal
upwelling and the frequent occurrence of hot
and dry trade winds from the northeast, are
the main factors responsible for the low rainfall
rate in the south-southeastem area near Cabo
Frio. Here, the annua1 rainfall rate is less
than 1.000 mm. On the other hand, the high
altitude and the steep relief of the drainage
basin are responsible for high rainfall rates,
which can reach 2.500 mm on the mountains.
Higher rainfall rates occur more often during
the spring and summer, because of the frequent
passage of Atlantic Polar Masses during the
spring and a continenta1 Equatorial Air Mass
in summer.
Land
Form
In
spite of being small, the region has
an astounding diversity of landscapes (click here
to see the photos). The
relief shows altitudes from 0 to 1730 meters
to the top of the
sea level. There
are four distinct physiographic units in the
region:
-
Wider
coastal plains (beach ridges, dunes) and
lowlands (tidal areas, lagoons, alluvial
deposits and huge floodplains);
-
Ondulated
hills;
-
Stepp
massif (Serra de Mato Grosso, Sapiatiba,
Palmital, Iriri) and low hills of the
Búzios and Cabo Frio peninsulas and coastal
islands;
-
Serra
do Mar mountain range with
several peaks;
The
highest mountain is the Pedra do Faraó (1,713
m).
Vegetation
The
vegetation varies according to its physiographic
location and distance from the ocean. The
mountains and some ondulated hills and stepp
massif are covered by Atlantic Rain Forest
spots, which show a diversified physiognomy,
shaped mainly by the topographic and climatic
factors. There is considerable variation in
height, stratification and floristic
composition (click here
to see the photos).
The
low-mountain forest (60-800
m) is a dense jungle with a continuous canopy
which can reach 25 m or more. When the vegetation
reaches 800 m, it becomes a shady humid forest
with huge trees sustaining a wide variety
of epiphytes and lianas. Above 1400 m and
extending to 1600-1800 m is a more open, upland
forest formation with smaller trees. The soil
is very shallow and there are huge uncovered
rocks. Above this upland open forest are open
fields ("campos de altitude"), either
directly on rock or on little islands of soil
with a depth of 50 cm or less. The Atlantic
Rain Forest and the open field have many endemics
species.
Lowlands
are covered by grass, wetlands and some small
spots of riparian forests. Sandy
costalplains support the “Restinga” vegetation.
This vegetation
is not regular and is presented in bushes
shape, under the form of sparse fields of
grass, dense woods with 12m height or swamps
areas. The remnant
restinga forest contains at least 110 tree
species. Biologists have estimated 1,500-2,200
species of vascular plants in the restinga
vegetation between Saquarema and Cape Búzios.
The low xeromorphic forest on hillsides facing
the ocean from Cabo Frio island to the Cape
Búzios is unique. Columnar cacti give a characteristic
appearance to the low thickets. Many endemic
species occur.
There
is an urgent need for floristic inventories
to build up precise knowledge about the distribution
of the species. Although data are still very
incomplete, the State of Rio de Janeiro is
considered one of the centres of endemism
for the Atlantic Coast rain forest. These
centres are being correlated with possible
areas of forest refugia in arid periods during
the Pleistocene. Cattle-raising and agriculture
(e.g. growing sugarcane) are carried out in
the region. The ecosystems are seriously threatened
by expanding land-development and increasing
pressure from tourism. Lack of environmental
controls allows occupation of the sandy coastal
plains by housing projects (for vacation homes)
with inadequate infrastructure. Salt-producing
flats on the edge of the Araruama Lagoon,
when abandoned, have been built up instead
of being returned to the lagoon to improve
the fishery. Remnants of the forest also are
being cleared for summer homes for tourists.
Destruction of the forest around some high-altitude
granitic outcrops has made their vegetation
susceptible to fire, which is made worse by
invasion of the African grass Panicum maximum.
The Rio
de Janeiro Botanic Garden Institute has been conducting
a genetical study of “pau-brasil” trees in
the region since 1993. This is a world's unique
study to protect the species that gave its
name to the country. The biggest concentration
of pau-brasil is in the Mountain Range of
Emerências, in Buzios. The reserve used to
be bigger, but the expansion of real state
and mining destroyed near four thousand square
meters of forest in the last 15 years. There
is a good population near the mouth of the
Itajuru channel too.
The
WWF International, the IUCN and the
Smithsonian Institute have considered the
CILSJ’s
region as an important worldwide “Centre
of Plant Diversity”.
See
details in: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/botany/projects/cpd/sa/sa14.htm
Coast
and Ocean
The
Consortium region boasts a coast of 193 km
long, from Itapebussus point to Negra point (click here
to see the photos).
The coast offers a rich and varied landscape
of bays and inlets, sandbars, 66 beachs, rocky
shores, marine cliffs, headlands, straits,
sounds, capes Frio (click here
to see the map)
and Búzios (click here
to see the map)
and 32 islands.
The upwelling is the most important ecological
phenomenon of our coast. The upwelling occurs
in two phases: (a) from September to April,
the seaward distancing of the Brazil Current
(BC) allows the South Atlantic Central Waters
(SACW) to ascend onto the continental slope
occupying the bottom of the continental shelf,
and (b) under the influence of northeastern
winds, the cold waters from more or less 50
m depth on the continental shelf, ascend to
the ocean surface. In contrast, the winds
from the southern sector produce retention
of warmer Coastal Waters (CW) and, consequently
the submersion of cold waters. The Cabo Frio
upwelling is related to three principal factors:
(a) local coastline direction (an abrupt change
from NE/SW to EW), (b) position of the Brazilin
Current axis, and (c) the wind regime. The first two factors, even so essential for location
of the phenomenon in this area, are not directly
active for the upwelling of cold waters up
to the surface, because only the NE winds
supply the motive power.
The
ocean around the Consortium region is vital
importance to the people living there. It
is used for tourism, recreation, fishing,
with one of the richest Brazilian fishing
grounds, transport, oil and gas extration
and many other economics activities. Petroleum
exploration offshore started in 1974 in the
“Garoupa field” (Campos Basin). The new Brazilian
law for the petroleum sector approved by the
National Congress in 1997, brought new actors
to the scenario of our coast.
Protected
Areas
Some
parts of our region are forever set aside
as wilderness, declared off limits to mining,
forestry and urban develoment, as showed in
the table below.
|
NAME
|
AREA
(ha)
|
YEAR
ESTABLISHED
|
MUNICIPALITIES
|
|
Poço
das Antas Federal Biological Reserve
|
5,000
|
1974
|
Silva
Jardim
|
|
União
Federal Biological Reserve
|
6,000
|
1998
|
Rio
das Ostras e Casimiro de Abreu
|
|
Três
Picos State Park
|
46,350
|
2002
|
Silva
Jardim, Cachoeira de Macacu, Nova Friburgo
|
|
Massambaba
State Ecological Reserve
|
7,6301
|
1986
|
Arraial
do Cabo, Araruama e Saquarema
|
|
Jacarepiá
State Ecological Reserve
|
1,267
|
1986
|
Saquarema
|
|
Mico
Leão Dourado Municipal Park
|
-
|
1988
|
Cabo
Frio
|
|
Dunas
Municipal Park
|
-
|
1988
|
Cabo
Frio
|
|
Boca
da Barra Municipal Park
|
38
|
1988
|
Cabo
Frio
|
|
Gamboa
Municipal Park
|
-
|
1988
|
Cabo
Frio
|
|
Praia
do Forte Municipal Park
|
-
|
1988
|
Cabo
Frio
|
|
Itapebussus
Municipal
Park
|
-
|
2000
|
Rio
das Ostras
|
|
Caixa
d’Água Municipal Park
|
-
|
1967
|
Rio
Bonito
|
|
Bom
Retiro
Private Reserve
|
472,00
|
1998
|
Casimiro
de Abreu
|
|
Fazenda
Arco Íris
Private Reserve
|
45,86
|
1994
|
Silva
Jardim
|
|
Granja
Redenção
Private Reserve
|
33,80
|
1996
|
Silva
Jardim
|
|
Santa
Fé
Private Reserve
|
14,31
|
1996
|
Silva
Jardim
|
|
Cachoeira
Grande
Private Reserve
|
14,00
|
1996
|
Silva
Jardim
|
|
Búzios
Mega Resort Private Reserve
|
-
-
|
-
-
|
Armação
dos Búzios
|
|
Tauá
Private Reserve
|
-
- -
|
-
-
|
Armação
dos Búzios
|
|
Parque
da Preguiça Private Reserve
|
14,0
|
-
-
|
Parque
das Preguiças
|
Source:
CILSJ - 2003
In
1974, the Biological Reserve of Poço das Antas
was established to preserve the golden lion
tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia) and
its habitat, the Atlantic Rainforest. There
are also four environmental protection zones,
the Area de Proteção Ambiental (APA) de Massambaba
(111 km²); the APA de Sapiatiba (60 km²);
the APA do Pau-Brasil and the APA do Rio São
João/Mico Leão Dourado and one Marine Reserve
(Reserva Extrativista Marinha de Arraial do
Cabo).
|
