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. [4] 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. [4]
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. [2]
Angra dos Reis is a Brazilian municipality located in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro state. Angra is located by the sea and includes in its territory many offshore islands, the largest being Ilha Grande.
Ilha Grande 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 government to free movement or settlement because it first housed a leper colony and then a top-security prison. Cândido Mendes high-security prison housed some of the most dangerous prisoners within the Brazilian penal system. It was closed in 1994. The largest village on the island is called Vila do Abraão with approximately 1900 inhabitants.
Serra da Bocaina National Park is a national park of Brazil. It is located at the border between the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in southeastern Brazil.
Tamoios Ecological Station is a coastal marine ecological station in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Cairuçu Environmental Protection Area is a protected area in the south of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. It contains an important remnant of the Atlantic Forest biome.
Praia do Sul State Biological Reserve is a biological reserve on the island of Ilha Grande, in the State of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil.
The Serra do Mar State Park is a state park in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It covers 315,000 hectares of the Serra do Mar mountain range, and is one of the largest remaining areas of continuous Atlantic Forest. The State Park stretches from the border of Rio de Janeiro to Itariri in the southern part of São Paulo.
The Ilha do Mel State Park is a state park in the state of Paraná, Brazil, located in the municipality of Paranaguá. It is a very small island, with a lot of fauna and flora, due to its small index of urbanization. It has 25 kilometers of beautiful beaches, and the population of the Island is distributed among some small villages: Encantadas, Nova Brasilia, Farol, Praia Grande and Fortaleza.
The Serra do Mar Ecological Corridor is a large collection of protected areas in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná in southern Brazil that form an ecological corridor connecting areas of Atlantic Forest.
The Bocaina Mosaic 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 area of Atlantic Forest along the coast and up the slopes of the Bocaina plateau.
The Ilha Anchieta State Park is a state park in the state of São Paulo, Brazil
The Aventureiro Sustainable Development Reserve, formerly the Aventureiro Marine State Park, is a sustainable development reserve in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It supports artisanal fishing by a small traditional community on the Ilha Grande, an island off the southwest coast of the state.
The Tamoios Environmental Protection Area 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.
The Mantiqueira Mosaic is a protected area mosaic that contains conservation units in the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais, Brazil. The conservation units are of different types and are managed at the federal, state or municipal level. The mosaic provides a level of integrated and coordinated management.
The Pedra Selada State Park is a state park in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Três Picos State Park is a state park in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It preserves a large, mountainous region of Atlantic Forest.
The Paraíso Ecological Station was an ecological station in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2013, it was absorbed into the Três Picos State Park.
The Bacia dos Frades Environmental Protection Area is an environmental protection area in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Graciosa State Park is a state park in the state of Paraná, Brazil. It protects an area of dense rainforest in the Atlantic Forest biome.
The Ilha do Cardoso State Park is a state park on the coast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It preserves a large area of Atlantic Forest on the Ilha do Cardoso, an island, and includes marshes and mangroves that form an important breeding area for marine life. Visitors may reach the island by boat and stay in one of the villages. They may visit the beaches or follow trails into the interior, where there are waterfalls and natural pools.
