Anavilhanas Archipelago - Brazil

This card, sent by my dear friend Déa, is also from Brazil and it is from a missing Unesco site :D, the Central Amazon Conservation Complex, on the Heritage list since 2000. This card was a complete surprise but this card is only 1 of the 2 she sent me.

The Central Amazon Conservation Complex makes up the largest protected area in the Amazon Basin (over 6 million hectares) and is one of the planet’s richest regions in terms of biodiversity. It also includes an important sample of varzea ecosystems, igapó forests, lakes and channels which take the form of a constantly evolving aquatic mosaic that is home to the largest array of electric fish in the world. The site protects key threatened species, including giant arapaima fish, the Amazonian manatee, the black caiman and two species of river dolphin.

The site is made up of Jaú National Park, Demonstration area of Mamairauá Sustainable Development Reserve, Amanã Sustainable Development Reserve and the Anavilhanas Ecological Station located in Amazonas State. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/998

The largest river archipelago in the world, Anavilhanas, in Amazonas state, is made up of 400 islands and hundreds of lakes, rivers, swamps and sandbanks, all rich in animal and plant life. It is situated on the river Negro and is a paradise for biologists and ecologists. The archipelago is protected by federal law, which established the Anavilhanas Ecological Station, with an area of 350,000 hectares.
The period from November to April marks high water on the river Negro, and half the islands are submerged, forcing the animals to take refuge on higher ground. When the waters retreat, the islands expose to view beaches and 90 kilometres of canals, which intersect the whole region. Anavilhanas is near the Jau National Park, the largest forest reserve in South America at 2.27 million hectares, also on the river Negro. - in: http://www.tecsi.fea.usp.br/eventos/contecsi2004/brasilemfoco/ingles/divpol/norte/am/anavilha/apresent.htm