Serra Geral do Tocantins Ecological Station, Ecological station in Bahia and Tocantins, Brazil.
Serra Geral do Tocantins Ecological Station covers approximately 707,000 hectares and includes rolling hills, savanna landscapes, and riverine forests across central Brazil. The protected area spans Bahia and Tocantins states and preserves these varied natural habitats from human disturbance.
The station was created by presidential decree on 27 September 2001, covering parts of Almas, Ponte Alta do Tocantins, Rio da Conceição and Mateiros in Tocantins and Formosa do Rio Preto in Bahia. Its stated aims were to protect samples of the cerrado ecosystems and to support scientific research. It is administered by ICMBio and forms part of the Jalapão ecological corridor and the Cerrado Biosphere Reserve.
Local people around the station live from subsistence farming and cattle raising, and many sell golden grass (Syngonanthus nitens) for handicrafts. Some set fires to create cattle pasturage, and others burn because they believe the golden grass needs fire. The station is part of the Jalapão ecological corridor.
The station is a strict nature reserve (IUCN category Ia) and is closed to the public, so no visiting is possible. Access is only for scientific research authorized by ICMBio, which administers the unit. The dry season from May to September brings high fire risk and daily temperature swings that can reach 47 °C.
The station is closed to the public, so its records come from research: 417 plant species in 89 families, and a bat, Thyroptera devivoi, known only from here. Two lizard forms, Bachia oxyrhina and Anops acrobeles, may also be endemic.
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