The Ilha Grande State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual da Ilha Grande) is a state park in the state of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

, Brazil.

Location

The Ilha Grande State Park is on the island of

Ilha Grande Ilha Grande ( "Big Island") is an island located off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. The island, which is part of the municipality of Angra dos Reis, remains largely undeveloped. For almost a century it was closed by the Brazilian go ...

off the south coast of Rio de Janeiro near the border with

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 Ga ...

, in the Angra dos Reis municipality. Although within the area of the

Bocaina Mosaic The Bocaina Mosaic ( pt, Mosaico Bocaina) is a protected area mosaic on the border between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil. It provides coordinated management for a group of 10 federal, state and municipal conservation units covering an are ...

of protected areas, as of 2016 the park was not among the mosaic's conservation units. It covers 62.5% of the island, with an area of . Along with the

Praia do Sul Biological Reserve Praia (, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.Aventureiro Sustainable Development Reserve The Aventureiro Sustainable Development Reserve ( pt, Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável do Aventureiro), formerly the Aventureiro Marine State Park, is a sustainable development reserve in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It supports ar ...

, 87% of the island or are protected. It is within the

Tamoios Environmental Protection Area The Tamoios Environmental Protection Area ( pt, Área de Proteção Ambiental de Tamoios) is an environmental protection area of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It protects an area of coastal forests, mangroves, rocky shores and islands. Loc ...

, created in 1982.

Environment

The island is made up of mountains with small plains irrigated with dozens of streams of clear water, with pools, rapids and waterfalls. More than 90% of the park is covered by Atlantic Forest. There are also '' restingas'', heaths and mangroves. The island has eight beautiful beaches, separated by section of rocky shore and cliffs that plunge into the sea. The surrounding marine habitat supports a rich marine life. There are archaeological remains of tools and middens from 3,000 years ago. Of more recent date there is an old lighthouse, aqueduct, dam and hydroelectric power plant, the ruins of two prisons, stone paths from the colonial era and several ruined farmhouses. The state park is administered by the Instituto Estadual do Ambiente of Rio de Janeiro. Any predatory actions that could harm the environment are forbidden, including cutting trees, pulling up seedlings, hunting and fishing, feeding or harming animals, agriculture, or residential, commercial or industrial occupation. The main beaches are supervised. The island still suffers from problems such as growing numbers of visitors, poor garbage collection, lack of sewage treatment, illegal construction and predatory hunting and fishing.

History

The Ilha Grande State Park was created on 28 July 1971 to preserve the natural resources and support tourism on the Ilha Grande. When created the park had an area of . It was officially established with land use regulated on 25 August 1978. It was expanded to cover in 2007, or 62.5% of the island.

Notes

Sources

* It is part of the

, created in 2006. * * * {{authority control State parks of Brazil Protected areas of Rio de Janeiro (state) 1971 establishments in Brazil Angra dos Reis