Pedra Talhada Biological Reserve


Pedra Talhada Biological Reserve is a federally administered biological reserve in eastern Brazil.
It contains a remnant of the tropical Atlantic Forest biome.

History

The Pedra Talhada State Park was created in 1985 to protect a representative sample of the remaining Atlantic Forest ecosystem in the Serras of Guaribas, Pedra Talhada and Serra do Cavaleiro.
Due to lack of resources, the park was not implemented, and there was no protection against commercial forestry or subsistance cropping and grazing.
To address the problem, the Pedra Talhada Biological Reserve was created on 13 December 1989 in the municipalities of Quebrangulo in the state of Alagoas and of Lagoa do Ouro in the state of Pernambuco.
The reserve covers and is managed by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation.

Environment

The region has a wet tropical climate with of annual rainfall.
Temperatures are around year round.
The reserve has a rugged topography, with most of its terrain strongly undulating and hilly.
The Lajeado dos Bois, at has the highest elevation of the state of Alagoas.
The reserve is in an Atlantic Forest transition zone with xerophilous deciduous forests, trees of and savannah with thorny and deciduous vegetation.
As of 2006 the park was still being used for subsistence crops and livestock, with fire used to clear the land and renew the pasture.

Status

As of 2009 the Biological Reserve was a strict nature reserve under IUCN protected area category Ia, with a terrestrial area of.
Protected bird species are white-necked hawk, rufous gnateater, scalloped antbird, spot-winged wood quail, golden-spangled piculet and Alagoas tyrannulet.