Atol das Rocas Biological Reserve
Atol das Rocas Biological Reserve is a biological reserve in Brazil. It is located on the Rocas Atoll, an atoll north-east of the Brazilian coast. It was established in 1979 to protect nesting sea turtles and migratory seabirds.
Geography
Rocas Atoll is north east from the coast of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte in north-east Brazil, and is the only atoll in the south-western Atlantic.The coral atoll is built on the upper, western part of the flat top of a volcanic seamount on the north-eastern part of the Brazilian continental margin. The seamount rises to a depth of below the surface. The distance from the reef to the edge of the top of the seamount is about to the west, to the north-west and to the east.
The sediment in the lagoon and surrounding the atoll is mostly coarse sand, much of which originates from the corals and mollusc shells. The reef has the shape of an ellipse with its axis running east–west, and is about. There are two small islands inside the lagoon. Ilha do Farol covers and Ilha do Cemitério covers. The highest point is above sea level. The reserve covers.
Environment
Rainfall is annually. Air temperatures vary from, with an average of.Water temperature is very stable at.
The islands are remote and have not been affected much by human activity.
Wildlife
An estimated 143,000 birds use the atoll, mainly masked booby, brown booby, brown noddy, black noddy and sooty tern. The reserve has been designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports significant seabird colonies.Protected species include the loggerhead sea turtle, hawksbill sea turtle, green sea turtle, red-billed tropicbird, white-tailed tropicbird, the crabs Johngarthia lagostoma and Percnon gibbesi, the starfish Echinaster ''guyanensis, lemon shark, and the corals Millepora alcicornis and Phyllogorgia dilatata''.