[2] The river rises in the 342,192 hectares (845,570 acres) Nascentes da Serra do Cachimbo Biological Reserve, a strictly protected conservation unit established in 2005.

[4] As a consequence, the fauna in the upper part, above the waterfalls on the Serra do Cachimbo plateau, is highly distinct and includes several endemic fish: three Lebiasina species, Brachychalcinus reisi, Erythrocharax altipinnis, Jupiaba kurua, Knodus nuptialis, Moenkhausia petymbuaba, Leporinus guttatus, three Harttia species, three Apistogramma species (including A. kullanderi, the largest in the genus), and others.

These are to some extent protected by the reserve, but habitat loss continues and the proposed building of dams, which would remove the waterfalls that isolate the endemics from more widespread species in the lower part, potentially represents a serious threat.

[4][5][6][7][8] Media related to Curuá River at Wikimedia Commons

This article related to a river in Pará, Brazil is a stub.