Vegetation

The Santo Antônio region is located right in the heart of the Amazon forest, more specifically on the banks of the River Madeira where the vegetation is dominated by thick forest formations known locally as firm land forests. They are marked by the presence of separated trees which form a continuous overhead cover with an average height of 40m where the larger trees emerge. The hot, humid climate, the quality of the soil and the other geographic conditions give the whole Amazon region a plant cover which is extremely dense, abundant and diversified.

Aquatic forest
The aquatic (or marshy) forests grow very close to the river on flat or inclined land where the soils are shallow, poorly drained and are submitted to long periods of flooding. The waters of the River Madeira are rich in nutrients which fertilize the soil of the forests annually. The aquatic woodlands suffer from human activity related to farming and subsidence cultivation. Their areas are used to extract wood and clear the fields for agriculture and pasture for cattle. Open landscape covered by low vegetation (weeds and grass) is found along the banks and on the islands of the River Madeira and is subject to long periods of flooding.

Rocky areas
When the waters of the Madeira are at their lowest level between August and October rocky outcrops appear on the banks and islands. The rocks remain under water for long periods and are covered by weeds and bushes adapted to the long inundation and rocky environment. In the higher rock areas where flooding is less frequent there are typical aquatic kinds of forests, some of which are entwined through their roots with the rocks.