| Adolfo Ducke Forest Reserve | |
|---|---|
| Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke | |
.jpg) Aerial view of the Amazon rainforest, near Manaus | |
| Location | Amazon rainforest |
| Nearest city | Manaus, Brazil |
| Coordinates | 2°57′43.56″S 59°55′54.48″W / 2.9621000°S 59.9318000°W |
| Area | 10,000 ha (39 sq mi) |
| Established | 1963 |
The Adolfo Ducke Forest Reserve (Portuguese: Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke) is a 10,000-hectare (25,000-acre) protected area of the Amazon rainforest on the outskirts of the city of Manaus, Brazil.
The reserve was established in 1963 in honour of the entomologist and botanist Adolfo Ducke (1876–1959), who was one of the most respected experts on Amazonian flora. It is part of the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTER). The reserve sits at the intersection of two major drainage areas, the Amazon River and the Rio Negro. The reserve is made up of research plots designed to study the biota of the regions, which serve as a basis for biodiversity surveys in other areas of the Amazon region, and studies on the impacts of fragmentation. The grid of LTER sites is made up of 25-square-kilometre (9.7 sq mi) plots inserted into a larger grid of 64-square-kilometre (25 sq mi) plots. Within the grid, which is used for straight line transect surveys of biodiversity, there are 250-metre (820 ft) long permanent survey plots.
The Adolfo Ducke Forest Reserve is one of the most intensively studied patches of rainforest in the world. It is one of the most important research sites in the Amazon because it is relatively intact. It is easily accessible from the city of Manaus and includes areas for researchers to stay for extended periods to carry out research.