The Rio São Francisco Natural Monument ( pt, Monumento Natural do Rio São Francisco) is a

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance. Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, nat ...

in the states of

Alagoas Alagoas (, ) is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco (N and NW); Sergipe (S); Bahia (SW); and the Atlantic Ocean (E). Its capital is the city of Maceió. It ...

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 ...

and

Sergipe Sergipe (), officially State of Sergipe, is a state of Brazil. Located in the Northeast Region along the Atlantic coast of the country, Sergipe is the smallest state in Brazil by geographical area at , larger only than the Federal District. Serg ...

, Brazil. It protects a section of dramatic canyons on the

São Francisco River The São Francisco River (, ) is a large river in Brazil. With a length of , it is the longest river that runs entirely in Brazilian territory, and the fourth longest in South America and overall in Brazil (after the Amazon, the Paraná and t ...

and the surrounding

caatinga Caatinga (, ) is a type of semi-arid tropical vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in interior northeastern Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation" (''caa'' = forest, v ...

environment, while supporting tourism and ecotourism.

Location

The Rio São Francisco Natural Monument is in the

Caatinga Caatinga (, ) is a type of semi-arid tropical vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in interior northeastern Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation" (''caa'' = forest, v ...

biome. It has an area of . The conservation unit extends along both sides of the

from the bridge between Alagoas and Bahia just below the

Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric Complex The Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric Complex (Complexo Hidrelétrico de Paulo Afonso), also known as the Paulo Afonso Complex, is a system of three dams and five hydroelectric power plants on the São Francisco River near the city of Paulo Afonso in Ba ...

to a little north of the

Xingó Dam The Xingó Dam is a concrete face rock-fill dam on the São Francisco River on the border of Alagoas and Sergipe, near Piranhas, Brazil. The dam was built for navigation, water supply and hydroelectric power generation as it supports a power st ...

above

Canindé de São Francisco Canindé de São Francisco is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Sergipe. Its population was 30,402 (2020) and its area is . Conservation The municipality holds part of the Rio São Francisco Natural Monument, which protects the sp ...

. It is in parts of the municipalities of Delmiro Gouveia,

Olho d'Água do Casado Olho d'Água do Casado is a municipality located in the western of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population is 9,441 (2020) and its area is . The municipality holds part of the Rio São Francisco Natural Monument, which protects the spectac ...

and

Piranhas A piranha or piraña (, , or ; or , ) is one of a number of freshwater fish in the family Serrasalmidae, or the subfamily Serrasalminae within the tetra family, Characidae in order Characiformes. These fish inhabit South American rivers, ...

in Alagoas,

Paulo Afonso Paulo Afonso is a city in Bahia, Brazil. It was founded in 1958. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paulo Afonso. The city is served by Paulo Afonso Airport. The municipality contains part of the Raso da Catarina ecoregion. ...

in Bahia and

in Sergipe. The area for the natural monument is semi-arid, with typical caatinga vegetation, and subject to

desertification Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly arid. It is the spread of arid areas caused by ...

. It has sandstone formations more than a billion years old, which have their own flora and endemic species. These include the endangered blue-winged macaw (Primolius maracana) and a newly reported skink of the

Mabuya ''Mabuya'' is a genus of long-tailed skinks restricted to species from various Caribbean islands. They are primarily carnivorous, though many are omnivorous. The genus is viviparous, having a highly evolved placenta that resembles that of eutheri ...

genus.

Conservation

The Rio São Francisco Natural Monument was created by decree on 5 June 2009 and is administered by the federal

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 is classed 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 ...

III (natural monument or feature). The purpose is to preserve a natural ecosystem of great ecological relevance and scenic beauty, enabling scientific research and environmental education, recreation in contact with nature and ecological tourism. The monument protects the canyons of the São Francisco River, the reservoir of the Xingó dam and the rock sites of the Malhada Grande / Rio do Sal complex in Paulo Afonso. The monument did not expropriate land, and was expected to strengthen

sustainable tourism Sustainable tourism is a concept that covers the complete tourism experience, including concern for economic, social and environmental issues as well as attention to improving tourists' experiences and addressing the needs of host communities. Su ...

and ecotourism. Mining is allowed in the buffer zone. Sustainable fishing and low impact agriculture can continue in areas where these activities were practised in the past, subject to the conservation unit's management plan. Freedom of navigation in the river is maintained, also subject to the management plan. Tourism has become a major local industry. Tourists may take boat rides through the river's magnificent canyons. File:Rio Sao Francisco Paulo Afonso.jpg, Near Paulo Afonso File:Xingo 4.jpg, Xingo canyon tour boat File:Passeio de barco ao cânion do Xingó -Rio São Francisco 02.jpg, Boat in Xingo canyon

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rio Sao Francisco Natural Monument Natural monuments of Brazil 2009 establishments in Brazil Protected areas of Alagoas Protected areas of Bahia Protected areas of Sergipe