The Baixada Maranhense Environmental Protection Area (Portuguese: Área de Proteção Ambiental da Baixada Maranhense) is an environmental protection area in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. It includes large areas of wetlands, and was designated a Ramsar site in 2000.
The traditional population lives in the area, but human activities are regulated in an effort to preserve the environment.
The vegetation is in the transition between the Amazon and Cerrado biomes, and includes coastal marine influence, covering a large area of lacustrine basins.[4]
The soil is clay, with high water retention.
During the rainy season from December to July the low fields are flooded, leaving islands of terra firma.[2]
Vegetation includes mangroves, babassu, riverine forests, Amazon rainforest remnants, lowland meadows and flooded meadows.[4]
The Baixada Maranhense Environmental Protection Area was created by Maranhão state decree 11.900 of 11 June 1991.
The objective is to regulate use and occupation of the land, exploitation of natural resources, fishing, predatory hunting and breeding of buffalo, so as to preserve biological integrity, water quality and refuges for migratory birds.
The conservation area has three sub-areas: Baixo Pindaré, Baixo Mearim-Grajaú and the Mearim-Pindaré Estuary - São Marcos Bay including Caranguejos Island.[2]
The Baixada Maranhense Environmental Protection Area was designated a Ramsar Site in 2000.[8]
Ordnance 66 of 5 November 2012 assigned an area of 56,386.11 hectares (139,333.1 acres) to SEMA/MA as the Baixada Maranhense sustainable use conservation unit.
The ordnance expected that a visitors centre would be built in the conservation unit.[2]
The APA lacks surveillance and management tools.
Issues include construction of fish farming tanks, accumulation of solid waste and predatory hunting of wattled jacana and American purple gallinule.[3]
