[1][2][4][5] Caxiuanã is noted for its rich biodiversity, geographic isolation, and a very low population density.

A proposal calls for the logging of 1,800 square kilometres (690 sq mi) in three areas of Caxiuanã.

It is managed by Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), which maintains two bases in the forest.

The Ferreira Penna Scientific Station (Estação Científica Ferreira Penna) is maintained by the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi and Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis, IBAMA), and is the center of many international research projects.

[6] The research station covers 330 square kilometres (130 sq mi), opened in 1993, and consists of laboratories and housing.

It is home to terra firme, a type of forest unique to the Amazon Basin where dead organic matter decays and is rapidly recycled into soil.

Terra firme forests make up 85% of Caxiuanã, and have a canopy that reaches 35 metres (115 ft) on average.

The várzea, a seasonal floodplain forest engulfed by white water rivers of the Amazon.