The Nascentes do Paranapanema State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual Nascentes do Paranapanema 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 ...

in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It protects part of the largest remnant 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 ...

in Brazil.

Location

The Nascentes do Paranapanema State Park is in the municipality of Capão Bonito, São Paulo. It has an area of of Atlantic Forest covering the sources of the

Paranapanema River The Paranapanema River (Portuguese, ''Rio Paranapanema'') is one of the most important rivers of the interior of the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The river forms most of the boundary between the states of São Paulo and Paraná. Course From s ...

. The park is in a mountainous area, and much of its territory is in the buffer zones of the

Carlos Botelho Carlos Botelho (18 September 1899, in Lisbon – 18 August 1982, in Lisbon) was a Portuguese painter, illustrator, comics artist, political cartoonist, satirist and caricaturist, whose works are shown at the Chiado Museum and at the Mode ...

and Intervales state parks. The region contains one of the best preserved remnants of

in Brazil, and shelters many endangered species of flora and fauna. It also has a rich historical heritage and holds various tourist attractions. It is part of a biological corridor, or continuum, recognized by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve.

History

The Nascentes do Paranapanema State Park was announced during the June 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). The new park and other units would make up the

Paranapiacaba Conservation Units Mosaic The Paranapiacaba Conservation Units Mosaic ( pt, Mosaico de Unidades de Conservação do Paranapiacaba) is a protected area mosaic in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It is administered by the state, and protects a large area of Atlantic Forest. ...

, a forest massif of over . São Paulo state decree 58.148 of 21 June 2012 created the state park and the mosaic. The objectives were protection of biodiversity, water resources and the biological corridor of Paranapiacaba, forming a biological continuum to preserve its ecological processes and gene flows, and to support ecotourism, leisure and environmental education. The park was expected to develop sustainable employment form ecological and cultural tourism in the region. The land was already owned by the state, and only ten residents had been identified, whose rights would be respected. The deputy mayor of Capão Bonito said the municipality should be compensated for "freezing" of part of the territory. Important mineral resources could not now be extracted, two cement plants could not be expanded, and there were question over who would maintain rural roads in the area.

Environment

The forest is extremely well preserved, and is home to the largest population of

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

s (''Panthera onca'') in the Atlantic Forest. It includes other threatened species such as

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...

(''Puma concolor''), South American tapir (''Tapirus terrestris''),

bush dog The bush dog (''Speothos venaticus'') is a canine found in Central and South America. In spite of its extensive range, it is very rare in most areas except in Suriname, Guyana and Peru; it was first identified by Peter Wilhelm Lund from fossils ...

(''Speothos venaticus''), pygmy brocket (''Mazama nana'') and

southern muriqui The southern muriqui (''Brachyteles arachnoides'') is a muriqui (woolly spider monkey) species endemic to Brazil. Taxonomy Taxonomy of muriquis is controversial because some scientists believe that they are a monotypic genus while others favo ...

(''Brachyteles arachnoides''). The connection between the various areas in the Paranapiacaba mosaic will help the species to survive. The jaguar tends to avoid areas frequented by man, which include areas used by hunters and gatherers of heart of palm in the reserve. It is estimated that there are just 250 individual jaguars in the states of Paraná, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, most of them in the mosaic area. There are more than 450 species of birds. The country people of the region consider that the primates in the park are good to eat. In 2012 environmental police seized the bodies of two howler monkeys and one southern muriqui. The muriqui, the largest primate in the Americas, is strongly threatened with extinction. In March 2013 environmental police found a hunter's camp with a shack equipped with a stove and kitchen utensils. A monkey that had been cleaned and was ready to eat was found, and the carcasses of an armadillo, and threatened birds such as

solitary tinamou The solitary tinamou (''Tinamus solitarius'') is a species of paleognath ground bird. This species is native to Atlantic forest of eastern Brazil. Taxonomy All tinamou are from the family Tinamidae, and in the larger scheme are also ratites. Un ...

(''Tinamus solitarius''), neotropical bellbird and toucans. The hunters escaped into the forest.

Notes

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nascentes do Paranapanema State Park State parks of Brazil Protected areas established in 2012 2012 establishments in Brazil Protected areas of São Paulo (state)