Furna Feia National Park

The Furna Feia National Park (Portuguese: Parque Nacional da Furna Feia) is a national park in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil that contains a large cave system.

Furna Feia National Park
Parque Nacional da Furna Feia
IUCN category II (national park)
Entrance of the main cave
Nearest cityMossoró, Rio Grande do Norte
Coordinates5°3′30″S 37°30′39″W
Area8,518 hectares (21,050 acres)
DesignationNational park
Established5 June 2012

History

Furna Feia park is the first national park in Rio Grande do Norte. Creation of the park was stalled by resistance from mining operations in the area, mainly limestone for use in making cement. As a compromise 700 hectares (1,700 acres) of the planned park where mining applications had been filed were given up, removing the main obstacle.[1] The park was created on 5 June 2012, and is administered by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio).[2] President Dilma Rousseff announced creation of the park on World Environment Day.[3]

Location

The park is in the Caatinga biome and has an area of 8,518 hectares (21,050 acres).[2] The park lies in the municipalities of Baraúna and Mossoró in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.[4] Furna Feia (Ugly Cavern) is the largest cave complex in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. So far more than 200 caves have been found.[3] The main cave is 766 metres (2,513 ft) long, and is the most important attraction in the park.[1] The park holds about 105 species of plants and 135 species of animals, some of which are endangered.[3] Eleven species of troglobite invertebrates have been found, all new to science.[1]

Conservation

The parks is classed as IUCN protected area category II (national park). Its goals are to preserve the speleological complex of Furna Feia and the biodiversity associated with the Caatinga biome, to carry out scientific research and to develop educational activities, environmental interpretation, outdoors recreation and eco-tourism.[4] ICMBio works with the local people to try to prevent actions that degrade the natural resources of the park, which include hunting, illegal removal of timber and destructive visits to the caves, particularly the main cave. The agency has established a fire brigade to help prevent forest fires in the conservation unit.[5]

gollark: They do have to spin pretty fast. There are sealed helium ones now.
gollark: > The HDD's spindle system relies on air density inside the disk enclosure to support the heads at their proper flying height while the disk rotates. HDDs require a certain range of air densities to operate properly. The connection to the external environment and density occurs through a small hole in the enclosure (about 0.5 mm in breadth), usually with a filter on the inside (the breather filter).[124] If the air density is too low, then there is not enough lift for the flying head, so the head gets too close to the disk, and there is a risk of head crashes and data loss. Specially manufactured sealed and pressurized disks are needed for reliable high-altitude operation, above about 3,000 m (9,800 ft).[125] Modern disks include temperature sensors and adjust their operation to the operating environment. Breather holes can be seen on all disk drives – they usually have a sticker next to them, warning the user not to cover the holes. The air inside the operating drive is constantly moving too, being swept in motion by friction with the spinning platters. This air passes through an internal recirculation (or "recirc") filter to remove any leftover contaminants from manufacture, any particles or chemicals that may have somehow entered the enclosure, and any particles or outgassing generated internally in normal operation. Very high humidity present for extended periods of time can corrode the heads and platters. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk_drive#Integrity
gollark: Interweb says it's to keep pressure equalized between the inside and out.
gollark: Ah yes, destroy it as an example to the others.
gollark: I find that threatening my electronics with a hammer or something works.

References
  1. Alex Costa 2012.
  2. Parque Nacional da Furna Feia – Chico Mendes.
  3. Brazil Declares New Nature Reserves ... ENS.
  4. Unidade de Conservação ... MMA.
  5. Victor Souza 2013.

Sources
  • Alex Costa (26 September 2012), "Furna Feia: primeiro parque nacional do RN", Tribune do Norte, retrieved 2016-05-01
  • Brazil Declares New Nature Reserves, Forest Fears Persist, Environment News Service, 5 June 2012, archived from the original on 2012-11-05, retrieved 6 June 2012
  • Parque Nacional da Furna Feia (in Portuguese), Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, retrieved 2016-05-01
  • Unidade de Conservação: Parque Nacional da Furna Feia (in Portuguese), MMA: Ministério do Meio Ambiente, retrieved 2016-05-01
  • Victor Souza (2 July 2013), PARQUE NACIONAL DA FURNA FEIA COMEMORA SEU PRIMEIRO ANIVERSÁRIO, João Pessoa: ICMBio, retrieved 2016-05-01
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