The Abrolhos Marine National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional Marinho dos Abrolhos ) is a
national park
A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
that was established in 1983 covering most of the
Abrolhos Archipelago
The Abrolhos Archipelago () are a group of 5 small islands with coral reefs off the southern coast of Bahia state in the northeast of Brazil, between 17º25’—18º09’ S and 38º33’—39º05’ W. Caravelas is the nearest town. Their name c ...
area in the state of
Bahia
Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...
, Brazil.
Location
The park was established on 6 April 1983.
It covers about .
It became part of the
Central Atlantic Forest Ecological Corridor
The Central Atlantic Forest Ecological Corridor ( pt, Corredor Central da Mata Atlântica is an ecological corridor in the states of Espírito Santo and Bahia, Brazil. It promotes improvements to connectivity between fragments of Atlantic Forest ...
, created in 2002.
It is located off the southern coast of the Bahia in the north east of Brazil.
The islands are volcanic in origin.
There are five islands in the Abrolhos archipelago but only one of them, Siriba, is open to visitors. A trail runs round this island.
Ilha Santa Bárbara is outside the park boundary.
It is under the jurisdiction of the navy, which maintains a navigation beacon there.
The other islands are Ilha Guarita, Ilha Redonda, Ilha Sueste.
The park also includes the Parcel dos Abrolhos, where typical coral formations of the region may be seen, and the Timbebas reef opposite the city of Alcobaça.
Ecology
The waters are clear and there is great diversity of underwater flora and fauna, including flourishing coral formations.
The island vegetation is mainly low, small plants such as grasses and herbs.
Seabirds include the white bellied booby, terns, frigates, jays and woodpeckers.
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...
visited the archipelago in 1830 and was impressed by the variety of species, including birds, lizards and spiders.
Ilha Guarita and Ilha Sueste are home to many seabirds.
Frigate birds nest on the steep sides of Ilha Redonda, which is visited by loggerhead turtles for spawning in the summer.
Diving along the reefs and the Rosalinda shipwreck is allowed, and humpback whales may be observed from boats.
Since 2003 the park has been an outpost of the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve (RBMA: Reserva de Biosfera da Mata Atlântica).
In 2010 it was recognized as a
Ramsar Site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**