The Intervales State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual Intervales) 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 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 protects an 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 ...

, including parts of the Serra de Paranapiacaba and the Ribeira de Iguape and

Paranapanema Paranapanema is a municipality in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo in Brazil. The population was estimated at 20,395 in 2020, in an area of 1019 km². The elevation is 610 m. References

Municipalities in São Paulo (state) ...

river basins.

Location

The Intervales State Park has its headquarters in the municipality of

Ribeirão Grande Ribeirão Grande is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 7,679 (2020 est.) in an area of 333 km2. The elevation is 690 m. The municipality contains part of the Serra do Mar Environmental Protection Area, cr ...

, São Paulo. It includes parts of the municipalities of

: , Guapiara: ,

Sete Barras Sete Barras is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 12,780 (2020 est.) in an area of 1063 km². The elevation is 30 m. The municipality contains part of the Carlos Botelho State Park, created in 1982. It contains ...

: ,

Iporanga Iporanga is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 4,199 (2020 est.) in an area of 1152 km². The elevation is 81 m. Iporanga contains parts of the Alto Ribeira and Baixo Ribeira sub-basins of the Ribeira de Iguape ...

: and

Eldorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...

: . It has a total area of . The park forms the central region of the Serra de Paranapiacaba Mosaic, which has over and contains the largest remaining area of

in Brazil. Other conservation units in the mosaic are the

Carlos Botelho State Park The Carlos Botelho State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho) is a state park is the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It protects a mountainous area of Atlantic Forest. The park contains more than half of Brazil's remaining population of endanger ...

Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park The Alto Ribeira Touristic State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto Ribeira) is a state park is the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It protects a mountainous area of Atlantic Forest and is known for its many caves. Location The Alto Ri ...

, Nascentes do Paranapanema State Park,

Caverna do Diabo State Park The Caverna do Diabo State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual Caverna do Diabo) is a state park in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, established in 2008. It protects a mountainous area of Atlantic Forest, and is known for the dramatic Caverna da Tapagem ...

Xitué Ecological Station The Xitué Ecological Station ( pt, Estação Ecológica Xitué) is an ecological station in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It protects a mountainous area of Atlantic Forest. Location The Xitué Ecological Station (ESEC) is in the Serra de Pa ...

Serra do Mar Environmental Protection Area The Serra do Mar Environmental Protection Area ( pt, Área de Proteção Ambiental Serra do Mar) is an environmental protection area in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It controls land use in an extensive area of Atlantic Forest in the Serra do ...

and

Quilombos do Médio Ribeira Environmental Protection Area The Quilombos do Médio Ribeira Environmental Protection Area ( pt, Área de Proteção Ambiental dos Quilombos do Médio Ribeira) is an environmental protection area in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It supports sustainable development of commu ...

History

The Intervales State Park originated with the Fazenda Intervales (Intervalley Farm), which was managed by Banco Banespa until 1986. From 1987 it was managed as a park by the Forest Foundation. 97% of the park was the former farm, owned by the Forest Foundation, and the remainder was vacant land owned by the state. A 1991 UNESCO resolution included the fazenda in the nucleus of the

Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve The Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve, or Mata Atlântica Biosphere Reserve (MABR, pt, Reserva da Biosfera da Mata Atlântica) is a biosphere reserve covering remnants of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, including fully protected and sustainable use ...

. The Intervales State Park was formally created by state decree 40.135 of 8 June 1995. In 1999 UNESCO declared it as a Natural

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. The park boundaries were altered by decrees 44.293 of 1999 and law 10.850 of 2001. As of 2008 the park was well staffed, with 92 personnel in different roles. There were about 9,000 visitors each year.

Environment

The name ''Intervales'' means "between the valleys", and refers to the park's location on the top of the Serra de Paranapiacaba between the basins of the Ribeira de Iguape and

Municipalities in São Paulo (state) ...

rivers. In the municipality of Ribeirão Grande the terrain is mountainous, with altitudes from . There are many caves, and rich biodiversity. In the municipality of Sete Barras the terrain is still mostly mountainous but has extensive floodplains, with altitudes from . Average annual rainfall is in the

Vale do Ribeira Vale do Ribeira is a region in the south of the state of São Paulo and the northeast of the state of Paraná, Brazil. It contains a large part of the Ribeira de Iguape River valley, from which it takes its name, as well as the coastal Iguape-Can ...

tectonic depression, in the Serra de Paranapiacaba and on the Guapiara Plateau. Vegetation is mainly rainforest. Towards the center of the park, where the Serra de Paranapiacaba forms the watershed between the Ribeira do Iguape and Paranapanema basins, more of the flora belong to seasonal semi-deciduous forest. Fauna include 751 species of invertebrates, 49 fish, 101 amphibians, 44 reptiles, 379 birds and 121 mammals, including 325 species of special interest for conservation.

Facilities

The administrative, maintenance and operational support infrastructure is concentrated at the headquarters. It includes four lodgings with a capacity of 100 guests, a restaurant, an environmental monitoring center, soccer fields, a playground, housing for researchers and staff residences. From the headquarters there are short and medium-length trails that give access to waterfalls, caves and belvederes, with stretches of forest in a good state of conservation. Visitors may engage in bird watching. From the Quilombo and Guapiriuvu bases there are trails with access to waterfalls and lookouts. The Chapel of Santo Inácio e Encanados on the border with the Xitué Ecological Station is of historical and cultural interest.

Gallery

File:Cachoeira do arcão.jpg, Arcão waterfall File:Intervales - mirante da anta.jpg, "Mirante da Anta" overlook File:Salticidae, Lyssomanes sp.jpg, Green jumping spider, Lyssomanes sp. File:Pyroderus scutatus -Intervales State Park, Sao Paulo, Brazil-8.jpg, Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, Pyroderus scutatus File:Caverna Luminosa, Parque Estadual Intervales, Ribeirão Grande, SP.jpg, "Caverna Luminosa" cave File:Coruja-listrada (Strix hylophila) no Parque Estadual Intervales.jpg, Rusty-barred Owl (Strix hylophila)

Notes

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Intervales State Park State parks of Brazil Protected areas established in 1995 1995 establishments in Brazil Protected areas of São Paulo (state)