The Aparados da Serra National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional de Aparados da Serra) is a national park located in the

Serra Geral The Serra Geral (General Mountains) is a mountain range in southern Brazil, constituting the southern portion of the Serra do Mar system which runs along Brazil's southeastern coast. The Serra Geral runs parallel to the Atlantic coast in Santa ...

range of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina states in the south of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, between 29º07’—29º15’ S and 50º01’—50º10’ W. It was created in 1959 as one of Brazil's first national parks, to protect the Itaimbezinho canyon. It extends over an area of 10,250 hectares.

Flora and fauna

Despite its relatively small size, the park is characterised by a rich biodiversity, as result of its diverse relief and of being situated at the contact between coastal forests, grasslands and

Araucaria moist forests The Araucaria moist forests, officially classified as mixed ombrophilous forest (Portuguese: "Floresta Ombrófila Mista") in Brazil, are a montane subtropical moist forest ecoregion. The forest ecosystem is located in southern Brazil and northeas ...

. There have been at least 143 bird, 48 mammal, and 39 amphibian species documented in the park. Endangered fauna on the plateaus of the park include the

red-spectacled amazon The red-spectacled amazon (''Amazona pretrei'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowla ...

parrot, the

maned wolf The maned wolf (''Chrysocyon brachyurus'') is a large canine of South America. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay, and is almost extinct in Uruguay. Its markings resemble those of foxes, but it is neither a fox nor a w ...

, and the cougar. On the slopes, the neotropical otter, ocelot and the brown howling monkey can be found.

Conservation and threats

When created in 1959, the national park protected an area of 13,000 ha. This has been reduced to 10,250 ha in 1972 through a presidential decree. In 1992 adjoining the national park, the new

Serra Geral National Park Serra Geral National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional da Serra Geral) is a national park in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, Brazil. Location Serra Geral National Park is in the Atlantic Forest biome. It covers . The park was cr ...

has been created, encompassing an additional 17,300 ha. However, according to the Duke University's Center for Tropical Conservation, the current park area, even after the extension with Serra Geral National Park, is still too small to be effective for the protection of representative samples of each distinct environment. One of the main obstacles for conservation efforts is that the state only has title over 67.5% of the land, and even part of that is occupied by farmers. Raising cattle, the practice of using fire to "renew" grasslands, the establishment of banana plantations with associated use of pesticides and the presence of domestic animals, all contribute to environmental degradation. Other threats are posed by invasive flora from the areas surrounding the park and

poaching Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

. Currently a maximum of 1,500 visitors per day are allowed in the park.

References

External links

Duke University ParksWatch: profile of Aparados da Serra NP
{{authority control National parks of Brazil Protected areas of Rio Grande do Sul Protected areas of Santa Catarina (state) Protected areas of the Atlantic Forest