The Ilha do Cardoso State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual da Ilha do Cardoso) is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

on the coast of the state of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, Brazil. It preserves a large area of

Atlantic Forest The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and th ...

on the

Ilha do Cardoso Ilha do Cardoso (''Cardoso Island'') is an island belonging to the city of Cananéia, São Paulo, Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and ...

, an island, and includes marshes and mangroves that form an important breeding area for marine life. Visitors may reach the island by boat and stay in one of the villages. They may visit the beaches or follow trails into the interior, where there are waterfalls and natural pools.

Location

The Ilha do Cardoso State Park is in the municipality of Cananéia in the extreme south of the state of São Paulo. It covers an area of . The state park occupies about 90% of the Ilha do Cardoso, and can be reached by boat from the town of Cananéia. The island is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Bay of Trapandé to the north, the Ararapira Channel to the west and the Ararapira Bar to the south. The Atlantic coast has beaches, dunes and rocky shores. The park is part of the

Lagamar Mosaic The Lagamar Mosaic ( pt, Mosaico do Lagamar is a Protected area mosaic (Brazil), protected area mosaic that includes a number of conservation units in the states of São Paulo (state), São Paulo and Paraná (state), Paraná, Brazil. History The ...

: There are six communities of ''

caiçaras Caiçaras () are the traditional inhabitants of the coastal regions of the southeastern and southern Brazil. They form a distinct group of people, descended from Africans, indigenous people, and Europeans. Their traditional way of life based on ...

'' in the park, with about 465 residents. They are strongly influenced by indigenous culture, and have developed an accurate knowledge of nature. They are mainly fishermen, and also gain significant income from tourism. Perequê, on the north shore, is 20 minutes by launch or 50 minutes by schooner from Cananeia. Marujá, in the south, is a fishing village with more accommodation and restaurants. It is 55 minutes by launch or 3 hours by schooner from Cananeia. The only electricity is provided by generators, which are turned off after 11:00pm.

History

The Ilha do Cardoso State Park was created by state decree 40.319 of 3 July 1962. The park is home to the Center for Applied Research in Natural Resources of the Ilha do Cardoso (CEPARNIC), at first under the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Supply, and in the 1990s transferred the Secretary of State for the Environment.

Environment

Between December and February average temperatures are up to and there are constant rains. In July and August humidity is lower and average temperatures are in the day and at night. The park is in the

biome. It has diverse vegetation including ''

restinga Restingas () are a distinct type of coastal tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest in eastern Brazil. They form on sandy, acidic, and nutrient-poor soils, and are characterized by medium-sized trees and shrubs adapted to the drier and nut ...

'', coastal forests and mangroves. The forest covers 90% of the island. The western side of the island has mangroves, and the coastal plain is mostly covered by ''

''. Almost 1,000 plant species have been identified. The park lies in the

Iguape-Cananéia-Paranaguá estuary lagoon complex The Iguape-Cananéia-Paranaguá estuary lagoon complex ( pt, Complexo Estuarino Lagunar de Iguape-Cananéia-Paranaguá) is a stretch of interconnected coastal estuaries and lagoons that extends southwest from Iguape in the south of São Paulo past ...

that stretches from

Peruíbe Peruíbe is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Baixada Santista. The population is 69,001 (2020 est.) in an area of . Peruíbe is located to the southwest of the city of São Paulo and wes ...

in São Paulo state to

Paranaguá Paranaguá (''Great Round Sea'', in Tupi) is a city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. Founded in 1648, it is Paraná's oldest city. It is known for the Port of Paranaguá, which serves as both the sea link for Curitiba, to the west and the cap ...

in Paraná. The complex is one of the largest breeding grounds for South Atlantic marine species. The park is home to endangered fauna such as the

red-tailed amazon The red-tailed amazon (''Amazona brasiliensis''), also known as the red-tailed parrot, is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is endemic to coastal regions in the south-east Brazilian states of São Paulo (state), São Paulo and Para ...

(''Amazona brasiliensis'') and the

broad-snouted caiman The broad-snouted caiman (''Caiman latirostris'') is a crocodilian in the family Alligatoridae found in eastern and central South America, including southeastern Brazil, northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia. It is found mostly in fr ...

(''Caiman latirostris''). The park has many species of

bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ...

, which host invertebrate and vertebrate communities, which have been studied in detail. There are many archaeological sites holding ruins of human occupation from the colonial period, and a landmark of the

Treaty of Tordesillas The Treaty of Tordesillas, ; pt, Tratado de Tordesilhas . signed in Tordesillas, Spain on 7 June 1494, and authenticated in Setúbal, Portugal, divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between the Portuguese Empire and the Spanish Emp ...

Attractions

The park has its headquarters in Perequê. Perequê has a visitor center and a waterfront kiosk on the Praia de Itacuruçá, and several trails. The busy fishing village of Marujá also has trails that lead to waterfalls and fountains. Boats may be hired in either center for trips to other parts of the island and hikes on trails, where visitors must be accompanied by monitors. The Cachoeira Grande (Great Waterfall) is reached from Marujá by a 15-minute boat ride and 20 minutes walk along a trail. Visitors can swim in the pool. The beaches can be visited without a guide. The beaches of Laje, Ipanema, Fole Grande and Fole Pequeno have natural pools for swimming. Enseada da Baleia (Whale Cove) is a popular spot for families. The Praia do Marujá has of clear sand, reached by a 10-minute trail from Marujá. The Pontal da Praia is at the north end of the island, from Marujá. The Praia de Cambriú is from Marujá at the mouth of the Cambriú River. The Praia da Laje is a large beach, with a trail at the end that leads to freshwater pools. The Praia Ipanema has a natural pool for swimming. A trail leads from the beach to the Ipanema Waterfall.

Notes

Sources