Brazilian National Parks - Pictures and Info! #Part 1

A national park is a park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently, there is a common idea: the conservation of 'wild nature' for posterity and as a symbol of national pride.

An international organization, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and its World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), has defined "National Park" as its Category II type of protected areas. According to the IUCN, 6,555 national parks worldwide met its criteria in 2006. IUCN is still discussing the parameters of defining a national park.

Brazil currently has 73 national parks, one of the categories of conservation units for integral protection of nature defined in the Law of the National System of Nature Conservation Units, placed in category II by IUCN. They are administered by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), an autarchy linked to the Ministry of the Environment created in 2007. Its basic objective is the preservation of natural ecosystems of great ecological relevance and scenic beauty, enabling the realization of scientific and the development of environmental education and interpretation, recreation in contact with nature and ecological tourism.

National parks were the first conservation units administered by the federal government. The first national park, that of Itatiaia, between Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, was created through Decree No. 1.713, issued on June 14, 1937 by Getúlio Vargas, from the Itatiaia Biological Station. The creation of this park was followed by Iguaçu in Paraná, on January 10, 1939, and by Serra dos Órgãos, on November 30, 1939, also in Rio de Janeiro. After that period, it was only in the 1960s that more national parks were created, some of them built as a result of the construction of Brasília and aimed to protect the Cerrado, as was the case of the national parks of Brasília, Emas and Chapada dos Veadeiros. In the 1970s, with the increase in the occupation of the Amazon and, consequently, the concern for its preservation, the conservation units of gigantic dimensions of this biome began to be created, the first of these units being the Amazônia National Park, in 1974. The number of national parks in Brazil has increased considerably in the last two decades: in 1990 there were only 33 parks, which became 67 in 2010. They vary in area in an extreme way: the smallest Brazilian national park, is Tijuca National Park, with little less 40 km², while the largest is the Montanhas do Tumucumaque National Park, with more than 38 thousand km².

Now, after this “class of Brazilian Geography”, let’s start of see the NPs!

The park is in the Atlantic Forest biome. The eastern side of the rugged Cariri massif is moist and dominated by montane rainforest. Further west it is drier and semi-deciduous forest gradually becomes dominant. In the northern portion of the Cariri massif the forests meet the deciduous forest of the Jequitinhonha depression. At the tops of the tallest and steepest hills there are stony fields with rock outcroppings, holding many species of bromeliads, orchids, cactuses and ferns. There are 35 species of amphibians, of which nine are endemic and four are new to science.

The park lies on either side of the Tapajós River. The habitat is dense lowland rain forest and there are areas of white-sand grasslands beside the upper reaches of the Tapajós. This river rises in the Precambrian crystalline shields area of ancient igneous rock and carries little sediment. Except for about 2% of more open forest, the whole park consists of dense humid tropical forest. The larger trees reach a height of about 50 m, and the light filtering through the canopy is sufficient to produce a biodiverse understorey of vines, lichens, mosses and orchids. Many of the mammals in the park are nocturnal, and some such as the giant otter, Amazonian manatee and giant anteater are endangered. There are also large numbers of reptiles, fish and other aquatic creatures.

The area of the unit is in the public domain. Visiting the unit is permitted. In some areas, visitation requires authorization to enter and stay; scientific research depends on authorization from the responsible agency (which in this case is ICMBio). Hunting, fishing (subsistence fishing by surrounding communities tolerated), logging, mining are prohibited. Changes to their ecosystems are not allowed (with some exceptions). Despite its 400 islands, Anavilhanas is not the largest river archipelago in the world. The largest river archipelago in the world is Mariuá, in Barcelos (AM), with approximately 700 islands.

Inserted in the natural region commonly called Aparados da Serra, the park has 13 141.05 ha of area, bordering both the south and the north to the Serra Geral National Park, which is also managed by ICMBio. The climate is temperate, with an average annual temperature of 16°C, with the warmest month being January and the coldest being June and July. The average annual accumulated precipitation varies between 1500 and 2250mm.

The Araguaia National Park is located on a transition strip between the Amazon Forest, Cerrado and Pantanal, it consists of several species of fauna, present in these three biomes, in addition to a very diverse vegetation cover, presenting several natural scenarios of rare beauty. This conservation unit must provide not only the reception of tourists and visitors, but also the conservation of the high rate of biological diversity present and guarantee the rights of the indigenous populations residing in its interior.

The park area comprises 12,841 ha of araucaria forests. These, with a well-preserved structure, have rich and diversified forests under the crowns of the pines, which give continuous shape to their upper stratum. Along with the beautiful landscapes and rivers of the park can be found specimens of trees with trunks over 3 meters in diameter.

The park has an area of 12,065.31 hectares. The terrain is rugged with altitudes from 440 to 1,111 meters above sea level. The park has an area of 12,065.31 hectares. The terrain is rugged with altitudes from 440 to 1,111 meters above sea level. The park is in the Atlantic Forest biome. The average annual rainfall is 1,300 mm. Temperatures vary from 14 to 26 ° C with an average of 23 ° C. Vegetation includes caatinga, semi-deciduous submontane forest, montane rainforest and semi-deciduous lowland forest. The region is known for the countless species of birds, with 437 recorded so far, which attract many foreign observers. Endemic bird species include the threatened or endangered slender antbird, Bahia spinetail and Bahia tyrannulet.

Considered as one of the priority areas for the conservation of the Caatinga, the Boqueirão da Onça region corresponds to one of the largest and most conserved remnants of the biome, representing an important shelter and breeding area for several species of fauna and flora in the region. It constitutes an important refuge for large mammals at the top of the chain, such as puma and spotted jaguar. The region is also home to an enormous diversity of birds, including the critically endangered Lear's Macaw; the red-necked hummingbird; the northeastern goldfinch; the jacucaca; the arapaçu-do-northeast; the caatinga-tipped beak; the arapaçu-hummingbird; and joão-xiquexique, species endemic to the region.

Other species that will be protected by the UCs are the armadillo-ball, pig-of-the-bush, white-lipped peccary and giant anteater. With outstanding scenic beauty and high potential for ecotourism, the Park also protects a significant set of caves, including Toca da Boa Vista (the largest Brazilian cave in extension, with 97.3 km) that interconnects with Toca da Barriguda (33 km long), forming the largest set of caves in the Southern Hemisphere. The region has great archaeological importance, with several rock sites studied for decades. The higher altitude portions are home to springs essential for water security in the region and in the entire São Francisco Basin.

It has a very rich fauna. In 2001, there were numerous mammals threatened with extinction, such as the maned wolf, the pampas deer, the giant anteater and the giant armadillo. Groups of capuchin monkeys frequent the pool area, where they consume processed foods brought by visitors, causing health and behavioral problems for the animals. It has surface and subsurface waters, which are abundant and of high quality. The watercourses present there form two sub-basins: the largest one, the Torto sub-basin, which occupies two thirds of the park; and the Bananal sub-basin, which occupies the remaining contingent. In the park, there is the Santa Maria Dam, responsible for providing 29% of the supply of the Federal District. In 2020, it had an estimated useful volume between 45.5 million and 61.31 million cubic meters of water. The cerrado (savanna) is predominant. The vegetation around the springs and streams is of the cerrado type, which consists of gallery forests. These areas were declared natural reserves by UNESCO.

Currently, the park is undergoing a tourist viability assessment process, with community or sustainable tourism as the basis for the experiments. It does not have a planned infrastructure for tourism, but visitation is not prohibited, and to visit this area an authorization issued by the Park's management is necessary. The municipality of Oiapoque has a relative structure for receiving tourism with hotels, restaurants and various leisure activities, however, the municipality of Calçoene is lacking in these structures. The best time to visit this unit and the surrounding region is from August to December, a period when there is less rain and the roads are good for vehicular circulation. In addition to observing the mangrove vegetation, lowland fields with their buritizais and animals, it is interesting to learn a little about the simple life of the few residents of Vila Velha do Cassiporé and Vila de Cunani. They are traditional communities in which their residents live off fishing and small subsistence farming or livestock activities. It is also possible to meet water birds such as Guarás, Spoons, Herons, and, hopefully, maybe even the Flamingo-American visiting the far north of the Park. These species usually appear in the mud region in the area shortly after the tide goes out and provide a unique spectacle in the Amazon region. This moment can also be conducive to enter the mangrove or visit a dormitory of parrots on an island in the Oiapoque River outside the Park.

The Campos Amazônicos National Park is in the Amazon biome. Average annual rainfall is 2,300 millimetres. Temperatures range from 12 to 32 ° C with an average of 27 ° C. Few detailed studies of flora and fauna have been undertaken. The Manicore marmoset was discovered in the forest. The savanna enclaves are seen by biologists as important in understanding the evolutionary dynamics of the Amazonian biota. There is high diversity of birds. The forest may provide a breeding ground for several commercially important species of fish. Mixed groups of woolly monkeys and white-nosed saki have been observed, an unusual occurrence in the Amazon.

The Campos Ferruginosos National Park is an integral protection conservation unit created by the Presidential Decree of June 5, 2017. It is located between the cities of Canaã dos Carajás and Parauapebas, in southeastern Pará. The park is formed mostly by portions of land from the National Forest of Carajás - Flona Carajás, in good condition, and the rest by areas in different stages of conservation, including remnants of native vegetation and pasture environments, the latter targets of a major reforestation project.

The creation of this park aimed to protect the biological diversity of the mountains, as well as to guarantee the continuity of ecosystem services, to guarantee the protection of the speleological patrimony of iron formation, of the vegetation of ferruginous rupestrian fields, contributing to the environmental stability of the region and contributing to the development of recreational activities in contact with nature and ecological tourism.

Its fauna is composed of specimens such as the blue jackdaw, the maned wolf, the suçuarana and the giant anteater. The area is home to immense rock formations, which impress by their shapes in the green prairie field. Rock paintings can also be seen throughout the park. One of its best known tourist spots is the waterfall Buraco do Padre, a type of underground amphitheater with 30 meters in diameter, where there is a waterfall with 45 meters. Through its walls, rock plants proliferate.

This park is one of the most representative areas of Atlantic Forest in Espírito Santo territory, which in addition to covering much of the Caparaó Mountain Range, is also found on the slopes of the Castelo Mountain Range, Forno Grande and Pedra Azul. Caparaó is a branch of Mantiqueira Mountain Range, interconnecting with the Brigadeiro and Pai Inácio mountains in Minas Gerais. The park attracts many tourists, especially during winter holidays. Tourists come mainly in search of the cold climate, and to reach the summit of Bandeira Mountain due to its well-known view of the sunrise at the summit of the Cristal Mountain. The climate of the park region is tropical in altitude, of the Cwb variation and has mild temperatures, with annual averages between 19 ° C and 22 ° C, but the summits of the parks are very cold places, being some of the coldest points in Brazil, in them the temperature can vary from 25 ° C to -10 ° C, and in winter, the peaks register frosts and temperatures of -4 ° C daily. At Cristal Mountain, there is a lake where at least one day per year is recorded with ice cover on site.

Well, we finished the first part of five, with images and information about each Brazilian national park. I started this series of blogs inspired in Kesuko, who is in the great endeavor, and challenge to visit each American national park. Some conversations (actually some images ... lol), and he decided to try to visit the Brazilian national parks, after the American ones (I hope this happens after the pandemic, if it happens.). This is basically a help for him, but I want to share this knowledge with everyone, showing that nature has a lot to offer us, with beautiful mountains, forests, rivers, dunes, waterfalls, etc.

I am finding it very interesting, discovering more about the nature of my own country, but the questions come to me: will people feel the same interest? Does it look like I "worship" and "boast" Brazil over other countries? Is this SPAM!? Also, excuse me if the formatting is strange (mainly in Mobile...). Despite I loved, I’m not 100% accustomed with The Blog Update, as I posted 29 times with the former editor. And I didn't found images for some parks, or more than one, so, excuse me again.

This is the blog I'm most nervous about posting. Every blog I post makes me sick to my stomach. I wonder if this is productive, interesting, or at least not stupid. But this blog is what makes me the most nervous. Wouldn't easier for me to show Kesuko, and that's it? I like to share my Brazil to the world, but doing it many times, and starting a series talking about Brazil makes me nervous. I'll post (in this case, it's already posted), but with the fear that you don't like it. I'm getting negative, but I have to try to do it. Perphaps people like?

I hope this post doesn't look weird like I'm thinking, but if you liked, stay open to the news here on my blog. Thank you very much for that minute of attention, and until the next post.