Lagoa do Peixe National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional da Lagoa do Peixe) 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 ...
in the state of
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...
, Brazil.
It was created in 1986 to protect a wintering zone for migratory birds along the ''Lagoa dos Patos'', the estuary of the Guaiba river or
Guaíba Lake
Guaíba is a city located in the Metropolitan Area, Metropolitan Porto Alegre of Porto Alegre, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is on the shores of the Guaíba Lake.
History
In the current territory of the municipality of G ...
about south of
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...
.
Location
The Lagoa do Peixe National Park is in the coastal marine biome, and has been registered 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)
**
Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation
The Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (Portuguese: ''Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade'', ICMBio) is the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment's administrative arm."Brazilian Federal Law 11.516/2007 (Por ...
.
It covers parts of the municipalities of
Mostardas
Mostardas is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
History
Mostardas was colonized by Azorean immigrants.
In 1738 there was already a military outpost called ''Guarda das Mustardas'' (Mostardas Lookout). The name remained un ...
,
São José do Norte
São José do Norte is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. As of 2020, the estimated population was 27,721.
See also
*List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul
This is a list of the municipalities in the state of Rio ...
The park lies on and between two parallel lines of dunes on the Atlantic coast.
It is long and on average wide.
Altitudes range from sea level to .
There are two fresh water lagoons in the northern section, Veiana and Pai João, while other lagoons and marshes are salt.
The park includes areas influenced by rivers or lakes, marine areas and intermediate areas, and has a mix of flora growing on the dunes, sandy fields, flood plains and salt and freshwater marshes.
Average annual rainfall is .
Temperatures range from , with an average of .
The park is an important resting place for birds on the migratory route between Patagonia and the United States.
Migratory species include red knot (''Calidris canutus''), common tern (''Sterna hirundo''), sanderling (''Calidris alba''),
white-rumped sandpiper
The white-rumped sandpiper (''Calidris fuscicollis'') is a small shorebird that breeds in the northern tundra of Canada and Alaska. This bird can be difficult to distinguish from other similar tiny shorebirds; these are known collectively as "pee ...
(''Calidris fuscicollis''),
two-banded plover
The two-banded plover (''Charadrius falklandicus'') is a species of bird in subfamily Charadriinae of family Charadriidae.HBW and BirdLife International (2022) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of ...
(''Charadrius falklandicus''),
tawny-throated dotterel
The tawny-throated dotterel (''Oreopholus ruficollis'') is a species of bird in the family Charadriidae, the plovers and their relatives. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay.
Taxonomy and systematics
The tawny- ...
(''Oreopholus ruficollis''),
rufous-chested plover
The rufous-chested plover (''Charadrius modestus'') or rufous-chested dotterel, is a species of bird in subfamily Charadriinae of family Charadriidae.HBW and BirdLife International (2022) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife Internat ...
(''Charadrius modestus''), Chilean flamingo (''Phoenicopterus chilensis'') and
Andean flamingo
The Andean flamingo (''Phoenicoparrus andinus'') is a species of flamingo native to the Andes mountains of South America. Until 2014, it was classified in genus ''Phoenicopterus''. It is closely related to James's flamingo, and the two make up th ...
(''Phoenicoparrus andinus'').
The tuco-tuco ('' Ctenomys flamarioni'') is endemic.
Conservation
The park is classified as
IUCN protected area category
IUCN protected area categories, or IUCN protected area management categories, are categories used to classify protected areas in a system developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The enlisting of such areas is part ...
II (national park).
The basic objectives are preservation of natural ecosystems of great ecological relevance and scenic beauty and enabling scientific research, environmental education, outdoor recreation and eco-tourism.
On 16 April 1991 the park was recognized as an International Reserve of the
Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network
The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) is a conservation strategy targeting shorebirds in the Americas launched in 1985. Its aim is to protect the nesting, breeding and staging habitats of migratory shorebirds. The first site to ...
.
On 24 May 1993 it was registered as Ramsar Site No. 603.
In 1999 it became an outpost 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 ...
in Rio Grande do Sul.
Protected species in the park include cinereous harrier (Circus cinereus),
Olrog's gull
Olrog's gull (''Larus atlanticus'') is a species of gull found along the Atlantic coast of southern Brazil, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the very similar '' L. belcheri''. It is a large gull with a b ...
(Larus atlanticus),
dot-winged crake
The dot-winged crake (''Laterallus spiloptera'') is a Vulnerable species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife In ...
(Porzana spiloptera) and
royal tern
The royal tern (''Thalasseus maximus'') is a tern in the family Laridae. The species is endemic to the Americas, though strays have been identified in Europe.Buckley, P. A. and F. G. Buckley (2020). Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus), version 1.0. ...