The Sapiranga Ecological Reserve is the biggest unit of urban conservation of mangroves of the planet.
- Global Position:
Universal Transverse Mercator - UTM
560311 E
9581024 W
Central M = - 39º or 39º W

Sapiranga Ecological Reserve
Created in February, 03 - 1996

Sapi...what? Sapiranga? where's that?
The fact that no taxi driver at the Fortaleza airport had any idea of where Sapiranga was made it clear that the world's so-called "largest urban natural reservation" was for from being one of the Ceará capìtal's main tourist attractions. Nobody had heard of the 210-acre area that is one of the city's last preserved grounds, close to the border of the towm of Eusébio. And no one even suspected that Sapiranga was the home of an extremely delicate ecosystem, with an estuary (Cocó and Coaçu rivers and the Sapiranga lagoon), mangroves and the heron colonies.
In fact, sapiranga, in the Água Fria district, has a fundamental importante for a certain group, but they never cath taxis: migrating birds. They leave from northern Canada and fly almost 20.000 kilometers until reaching America's other extreme, the south Patagonia. Birds from 77 species coming from northern hemisphere sometimes fly 70 hours won-stop. After such on stremuos journey, they land in Sapiranga for a well deserved "pit-stop". Birds like the sandpiper use the stop to recover their plumage and cating well.
This green spot on Fortaleza's map still suffers from real estate speculation and pollution generated by the uncontrolled growth in neighboring districts. But things used to be a lot worse. Pictures taken over ten years ago show desforestation and the devastation of mangroves. This deadly story started to change in 1994, when the area's owner, Maria Nilva Alves, was able to get the a "reservation status for the land. It's a private reservation, but it was donated to mankind" Maria Nilva ensured. "Our priority is to keep it alive". The symbol of Sapiranga is the aratu, a crustacean that can be easily spotted as it walks through the mangroves, because of its red shell.
The fresh breeze that blows from the city's east coast start at the reservation. It's the air that cools the downtown area. "Fortaleza would be literally fried if Sapiranga where destroyed", warns pesquisadores. While watching the ballet of the herons that returned to the region.
About one of the aggressions sapiranga is suffering now: invaders set the woods on fire to hunt guinea pigs. "The goal is to show everybody how important it is to preserve sapiranga".
With the pespective of Fortaleza's increasing urban expansion, that the birds will be able to count on Sapiranga to help them on their epical crossing to the most remote lands of the Patagonia.

The flora and the fauna of the Sapiranga Ecological Reserve of are very rich. Only place inside of the city of Fortaleza - BR, where if it can observe the natural invasion of the vegetation of the mangroves.
This is the place of the reproduction of animals, as the crustaceans, (ucas, aratu, crab-uça, siri, snakes, raccoons.) e maritime animal , mainly the changeable species of fish. A true cradle of the sea life. Its Manguezal has great importance during the migration of the birds, for being much time in each autumn and spring here.
Sapiranga now contains more 700ha of mangrove. Yet the little that remains has revealed many surprising discoveries, and its survival is one of the premier challenges facing preservation today. With the help of these Thinkquest, we hope that you too will come to cherish this habitat, and share our wonder of its many inhabitants.
Maria Nilva Alves Foundation an organization that keeps the Sapiranga Ecological Reserve in Fortaleza, Brasil.
Welcome to the Sapiranga - Fortaleza, BR.