The Rio Doce State Park (Portuguese: Parque Estadual do Rio Doce) is a state park in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It protects a large remnant of Atlantic Forest, and includes a system of lagoons rich in species of native fish.
The Rio Doce State Park is in the southwest of Minas Gerais, 248 kilometres (154mi) from Belo Horizonte, in the Vale do Aço region. It is divided between the municipalities of Marliéria, Dionísio and Timóteo. It has an area of 35,970 hectares (88,900 acres).[2] The Doce River forms the eastern boundary of the park, and its tributary the Piracicaba River forms the northern boundary.[3]
The park protects part of the third largest lake system in Brazil after the Amazon and the Pantanal of Mato Grosso.[4] This is a system of forty natural lagoons including the 6.7 square kilometres (2.6sqmi) Lagoa Dom Helvécio, with a depth of up to 32.5 metres (107ft).[2] The lake system is at an altitude of 300 metres (980ft). The lakes are 20 metres (66ft) above the river, and are not connected with the river system.[4]
History
Creation of the park was first suggested in the early 1930s by Dom Helvécio Gomes de Oliveira, Archbishop of Mariana. After a long campaign, the Rio Doce State Park was created by state decree-law 1.119 of 14 July 1944, the first state-level conservation unit in Minas Gerais.[2] During the first years the park was not monitored and access was uncontrolled, so the fauna suffered considerably from unrestricted hunting and fishing. A fire in the dry season destroyed 9,000 hectares (22,000 acres) of forest, with 11 deaths.[4]
In the 1970s some tourism infrastructure was established.[4] A renovation was undertaken from 1986 to 1993, when the park was reopened to visitors.[4] The park became an administrative unit of the State Forestry Institute (IEF) through law 11.337 of 1993.[5] As of 2002, when the management plan was issued, 82% of land titles had been acquired by the state.[6]
Environment
Average annual rainfall is 1,480.3 millimetres (58.28in), with a dry period from May to September. Mean annual temperature is 21.9°C (71.4°F).[4] The park contains a remnant of Atlantic Forest, mostly seasonal semideciduous forest in various stages of succession. It is the largest contiguous remnant of Atlantic forest in Minas Gerais, with 1,129 plant species from 134 families.[5] Trees such as jequitibá, garapa, vinhático and sapucaia are common. In some places rare specimens such as the jacarandá-da-baía and canela sassafrás also appear.[4]
The park has rich fauna, including 77 species of mammals in 9 orders, with 7 species of primates.[7] 12 species of mammal are on the national list of endangered species. 325 species of birds have been recorded, including 20 considered endangered.[7] The lagoons are home to 27 species of fish. 38 species of amphibians have been recorded.[7] Exotic species of fish such as Tucunaré (Cichla), piranha and oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) have caused changes to the food chain.[4]
Threats include illegal hunting and fishing, fires, urban sprawl in the municipality of Timóteo and road kill on the Ponte Queimada road.[6]
Visiting
There were more than 21,000 visitors in 2000.[6] The park is open for visits Tuesday to Sunday and holidays from 08:00 to 17:00. There is parking, a camping area, changing rooms, a restaurant, amphitheater, visitor center, research center, plant nursery and environment police post.[2] The main attraction is the Lagoa Dom Helvécio, also known as Bishop's pond, where visitors can swim, fish, and make boat trips. There are also hiking trails in the woods.[5]
The Dom Helvécio Lagoon in the southwest of the park is the largest natural lagoon in Brazil. There is a public beach on the bank of the lagoon at the end of the park road, 6 kilometres (3.7mi) from the entrance, which may be used for swimming and sports fishing. It is delimited by a cord of buoys, and has male and female changing rooms. Lifeguards are on duty on long weekends. Sports fishing is allowed with limitations, and only earthworms are allowed as live bait. Kayaks and paddle boats can be rented. Rowing boats and boats with electric motors can be used to tour the lagoon, but disembarkation is not allowed.[4]
Manhuaçu is a municipality in Eastern Minas Gerais state, in Brazil. Its population was 91,169 (2020) and its area is 628 km2.
Timóteo is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, located by the Piracicaba River. The population as of 2020 was 90,568 inhabitants. The city is situated in the metropolitan area of the Steel Valley. It is the hometown of Aperam South America, a steel factory specialized in the production of stainless steel, now named Aperam.
Dionísio is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The city belongs to the mesoregion Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte and to the microregion of Itabira. As of 2020, the estimated population was 7,609.
Marliéria is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.
The Itaúnas State Park is a state park in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. It protects the lower reaches of the Itaúnas River and a strip of marshes, dunes and beaches along the Atlantic coast of the north of the state.
The Aguapeí State Park is a state park in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It protects an area of floodplain in the Atlantic Forest biome, home to many water birds.
The Rio do Peixe State Park is a state park in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.
The Acaraí State Park is a state park in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. It protects a coastal area in the Atlantic Forest biome. There are issues due to a sizeable population of traditional residents in the park.
The Nova Baden State Park is a state park in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It protects a rugged, forested area that is home to several rare or endangered species of mammals.
The Sumidouro State Park is a state park in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The remains of the first human inhabitants of Brazil were found in the park area in the early 19th century, along with bones of now-extinct megafauna. The main attraction is the Gruta da Lapinha, a large limestone cave.
The Pico do Itambé State Park is a state park in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It protects one of the higher peaks in the state.
The Dom Osório Stoffel State Park is a state park in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. It protects an area of the cerrado biome.
The Serra do Cabral State Park is a state park in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
The Serra do Rola-Moça State Park is a state park in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It protects a rugged area in the transition zone between cerrado and Atlantic Forest. Springs in the park are important to the water supply of the state capital, Belo Horizonte.
The Serra Negra State Park Portuguese: Parque Estadual da Serra Negra is a state park in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It protects a mountainous area in the Atlantic Forest biome, an important source of water in a dry region, and a potential source of tourism revenue in an area with many social problems.
The Rio Preto State Park is a state park in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It protects a mountainous area of cerrado vegetation that is home to various endemic, rare or endangered species. Trails provide environmental interpretation, and lead to lookouts that give panoramic views, to rivers and waterfalls, and to archaeological sites with rock paintings.
The Serra Nova State Park Portuguese: Parque Estadual de Serra Nova is a state park in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It protects an area of rugged terrain with considerable diversity of flora and fauna.
The Jurupará State Park is a state park in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It protects an area of Atlantic Forest, and provides a bridge between other conservation units in the region.
The Campinhos State Park is a state park in the state of Paraná, Brazil. The environment has been much degraded by human activity and is in the process of regeneration, but there are areas of the original Araucaria Forest. The main attraction is the 500 metres (1,600 ft) long Jesuits Cave, with many speleothems such as stalagmites and stalactites.
The 1967 Rio Doce State Park wildfire was a major forest fire that occurred in the Rio Doce Valley, located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in the 1960s. The Rio Doce State Park, considered to be the largest Atlantic Forest reserve in the state, has 35,976 hectares (ha) according to 2019 data - information prior to the fire stated that there were 30,000 hectares - distributed between the municipalities of Dionísio, Marliéria and Timóteo. It was created in 1944.
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