Location: Tocantins Map
The Araguaia National Park was created during the administration of
President Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, on December 31, 1959, in
northern Goiás, currently Tocantins.
Initially, the Araguaia
National Park occupied the entire area of Ilha do Bananal, about 2
million hectares. Currently, after two changes in its boundaries,
the National Park occupies an area equivalent to about 562 thousand
hectares.
It is located in the northern third of Ilha do
Bananal, southwest of the State of Tocantins, covering part of the
municipalities of Pium and Lagoa da Confusão.
The Araguaia
National Park is located in a transition zone between the Amazon
Forest, Cerrado and Pantanal, it consists of several species of
fauna, present in these three biomes, in addition to a very
diversified plant cover, presenting several natural scenarios of
rare beauty. This conservation unit must provide not only the
reception of tourists and visitors, but also the conservation of the
high rate of biological diversity present and guarantee the rights
of the indigenous populations residing in its interior.
Today, the Araguaia National Park is managed by the Chico Mendes
Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), through the local
office located in the city of Pium, Tocantins.
December 17, 1959 - Goiás State Law 2,370 authorizes the donation of
Bananal Island to União, with the objective of creating the Araguaia
National Park.
December 31, 1959 - President Juscelino Kubitschek
de Oliveira creates the Araguaia National Park.
March 1, 1973 -
President Emílio Garrastazu Médici promulgates Decree 71,879, which
reduces the area of the Araguaia National Park to about 1/3 of the
original area, on the northern tip of Bananal Island. The Araguaia
Indigenous Park is created, which occupies the remaining 2/3.
June 24, 1980 - President João Batista Figueiredo, through Decree
84,844, changes the limits of the Araguaia National Park again,
expanding it to the current 562,312 hectares.
April 18, 2006 -
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signs a decree approving the
Inãwébohona Indigenous Land of the Karajá and Javaé Indians, inside
the Araguaia National Park, which is now subject to the legal regime
of dual use in 2/3 of its area.
The park
occupies the northern tip of Bananal Island in the southwest of the
state of Tocantins and includes parts of the municipalities of Piun
and Lagoa da Confusan. Araguaya National Park is located in the zone
where the Amazonian forest ecoregions converge with the landscapes
of Serrado and Pantanal, and animals belonging to these 3 biomes
live in this territory, as well as an extremely diverse flora with
various rare natural beauty landscapes. The main goal of this
national park is not to attract tourists and visitors, but to carry
out work to preserve the wide variety of biological diversity that
is available here today.
Currently, Araguaya National Park is
managed by the Chico Mendes Biodiversity Institute, the local branch
of the institution is located in Piuna, Tocantins.