Rio das Lontras Private Natural Heritage Reserve

The Rio das Lontras Private Natural Heritage Reserve (Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Rio das Lontras) is a private natural heritage reserve in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Location
The Rio das Lontras Private Natural Heritage Reserve was created by decree on 3 April 2005, modified on 14 May 2009. The decree creating the reserve, which had not yet been surveyed, said it had 23 ha. After a survey, the modified decree of May 2009 gave its area as 27.7 ha. It includes land in the municipalities of São Pedro de Alcântara and Águas Mornas in the state of Santa Catarina.

The average elevation is 300 m above sea level. Re reserve's streams supply the Forquilhas River, a tributary of the Cubatão River. Average temperatures range from 16 to 25 C with an average of 20.5 C. Annual rainfall is 1390 mm with no dry period but more rain in January and February.

Environment
The reserve covers a fragment of the Atlantic Forest biome. It has rugged terrain with very well preserved dense montane rainforest and has a rich variety of trees, orchids, ferns and other flora. Fauna include anteaters, raccoons, coatis, armadillos, skunks, opossum, hedgehogs, squirrels, howler monkeys, ocelots, pumas and otters. Birds include weavers, toucans, woodpeckers, tanagers, jays, thrushes, ibises and hummingbirds.

Conservation
The objectives are to preserve the environment and enable scientific research and environmental education. The proprietors make a small income from sale of T-shirts. The reserve is close to the Serra do Tabuleiro State Park to the south, which has more than 90000 ha of protected land, and is part of the mosaic of ecosystems and ecological corridors of great importance for maintenance of biological diversity.