Protected species in the Amazon's Cristalino state park

Dawn at Cristalino state park – the 184,000 hectares of lush rainforest in the southern Amazon shimmers in the warm pink haze
Photograph: E Bowen-Jones/FFI

Curl-crested aracaris (Pteroglossus beauharnaesii) congregate on a dead tree in Cristalino State Park
Photograph: E Bowen-Jones/FFI

A caiman doesn’t seem to mind that two colourful butterflies are taking a break on its nose
Photograph: E Bowen-Jones/FFI

The white-whiskered spider monkey (Ateles marginatus) is listed as endangered on the IUCN 'red list' of threatened species. Conservation efforts in Cristalino state park focus on the charismatic animal, whose range has been severely constricted by deforestation
Photograph: E Bowen-Jones/FFI

The lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) is often found swimming in rainforest swamps. It is considered vulnerable by the IUCN and is particularly susceptible to hunting
Photograph: E Bowen-Jones/FFI

The conehead katydid (Copiphora rhinoceros) is just one of many stunning insect species that live in the Amazonian forest canopy in Cristalino
Photograph: E Bowen-Jones/FFI

Cristalino is home to a vast array of flowering plants, such as this stunning orchid (Psygmorchis glossomystax)
Photograph: E Bowen-Jones/FFI

A well-camouflaged boa constrictor keeps a lookout for any unsuspecting mammals, birds or lizards scuttering around in the leaf litter
Photograph: E Bowen-Jones/FFI

A fierce-looking thornback spider waits patiently in the forest canopy for its prey
Photograph: E Bowen-Jones/FFI

A juvenile harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) spots the camera from its perch near the town of Alta Floresta
Photograph: E Bowen-Jones/FFI

The Brazil-nut poison dart frog (Adelphobates castaneoticus) lives in the leaf litter of the tropical rainforest. It used the water inside small puddles and the ouriço of Brazil nuts in order to reproduce. It first lays its eggs on the ground, then carries the tadpoles to the water to develop
Photograph: E Bowen-Jones/FFI

The park, in Mato Grosso, is one of the most biodiverse reserves in the region. But lack of management means it remains under serious threat from fire and illegal logging. Little is known about the botanical diversity of the region, and regional capacity for research is limited
Photograph: E Bowen-Jones/FFI

Logs pile up in the town of Alta Floresta. Lack of management to date means the park is threatened by illegal logging
Photograph: E Bowen-Jones/FFI

The Amazon covers about half of Brazil and stores huge amounts of carbon dioxide. The burning of large tracts of it, however, has released so much of this greenhouse gas that Brazil is now fourth in the world for CO2 emissions
Photograph: E Bowen-Jones/FFI

The expansion of cattle-rearing is one of the most serious threats to the Amazon rainforest. Cristalino state park lies within the 'arc of deforestation', where the threat is worst
Photograph: E Bowen-Jones/FFI