Copi Nature Reserve

Copi Nature Reserve
Copi Nature Reserve
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Location	Para District, Suriname
Nearest city	Stolkertsijver
Coordinates	5°30′48″N 54°48′05″W / 5.513333°N 54.801389°W
Area	180 km2 (69 sq mi)
Established	1986
Governing body	Stinasu [nl]

The Copi Nature Reserve (Dutch: Natuurreservaat Copi) is a protected area and nature reserve in Suriname. The reserve is located along the blackwater Cassewinica Creek. The reserve measures 18,000 hectares, and has been a protected area since 1986.^[1]

Overview[edit]

The reserve contains a large amount of possumwood (Hura crepitans) which was the main reason for protecting the area. It also contains numerous spectacled caimans (Caiman crocodilus crocodilus), some giant otters (Pteronura brasiliensis),^[2] and Cuvier's dwarf caimans (Paleosuchus palpebrosus).^[3]

The reserve consists of dry savannas, short grass savannas, and some grass and fern swamps.^[3] Copi Nature Reserve is the only state-owned dry clay savannah in Suriname; the other two are privately owned.^[4]

Access[edit]

The indigenous Lokono^[5] village of Copi is located in the area, however it only has a few inhabitants. The indigenous population has the right to fish and hunt in the reserve. Copi can be reached by boat from Stolkertsijver.^[1]

Archaeology[edit]

The Copi Nature Reserve contains archaeological traces from pre-Columbian times. There are also several abandoned plantations and forts located in the reserve.^[1]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Ouboter 2001, p. 45.
^ Mohadin 1993, p. 3.
^ ^a ^b Mohadin 1993, p. 5.
^ Ouboter 2001, p. 47.
^ "Dorpen en Dorpsbesturen". Vereniging van inheemse dorpshoofden in Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 February 2021.