It is near the city of Vila Velha, is readily accessible to the public and does not conform to standard Brazilian definitions of environmental units.

[2] The reserve may be reached via the 1896 Madalena bridge from the Barra do Jucu neighbourhood, or by walking along the Itaparica beach from the north.

[2] The Jacarenema Ecological Reserve was created by state law 5.427 of 1997 at the initiative of deputy Claudio Vereza, supported by governor Vitor Buaiz.

[3] The Jacarenema State Ecological Reserve contains sandbank vegetation of the Atlantic Forest biome that is still in good condition.

[2] The mangroves along the river bank include Avicennia germinans (42.26%), Laguncularia racemosa (34.42%), Hibiscus tiliaceus (9.80%) and Rhizophora mangle (4.57%) The river often receives waste water from the municipalities along its course, as well as urban garbage that accumulates around the mangroves at its mouth in the ecological reserve.