Seridó Ecological Station

Seridó Ecological Station (Estação Ecológica do Seridó) is a hot, semi-arid ecological station in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

Location
The station was created on 31 May 1982 to preserve the Caatinga ecosystem, with a semi-arid climate and vegetation typical of the north eastern interior. It is in the Serra Negra do Norte municipality of the state of Rio Grande do Norte. The Seridó Ecological Station covers 1163 ha and is near to the city of Caicó. It is a federal conservation unit managed by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation.

Environment
The climate is hot and semi-arid, with temperatures from 20 to 32 C and average annual rainfall of 497 mm. Terrain is undulating, with average elevation of 200 m. The Serra Verde rises to 386 m in the north. Vegetation is dry, sparse scrub, with isolated bushes and trees up to 2 m high. There are relatively few mammals, which include fox, margay and armadillo. 57 species of bird have been observed.

Status
The Ecological Station is a "strict nature reserve" under IUCN protected area category Ia. The purpose is to conserve nature and support scientific research. Poaching is an issue, as are sporadic invasions of cattle from neighbouring farms.