Location: border of Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraná states Map
Ilha Grande National Park is a protected area situate on the
border of Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraná states in Brazil.
Created by federal law No. 12,829 of June 20, 2013, it is formed by
a small archipelago 6.2 miles from the coast, in front of Praia de
Leste, in the municipality of Pontal do Paraná.
It consists
of three small islands and some nearby reefs covering an area of
1359.69 hectares. The islands have no beach, they are made up only
of rock and stone formations. More than 8 thousand birds live on
these islands, as well as fish, which shelter on the reefs near the
islands. Besides the ecological importance, the archipelago is
widely used by small fishermen of the coast of Paraná, being one of
the main fishing poles of the state.
Historic
The Ilha Grande National Park was created through an
unnumbered decree issued by the Presidency of the Republic on September
30, 1997. Currently, the park is managed by the Chico Mendes Institute
for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio).
Characterization of the
area
The park, with its 78,875 ha of area, covers all the islands and
islets from the Itaipu Reservoir and the mouth of the Piquiri river to
the mouth of the Amambai and Ivaí rivers, in the Paraná river, among
which the largest are the Grande, Peruzzi, from Peacock and
Bandeirantes. The park area also includes the floodplains and
floodplains, located on the banks of the Paraná River, the lake and
lagoon waters and their surroundings and the Paredão das Araras. The
river waters intended for navigation are not part of the Ilha Grande
National Park.
Ilha Grande protects highly relevant
archaeological sites. It is known that the place was once inhabited by
Guarani and Xetás Indians.
Tourism and local attractions
The
park is open to the public free of charge for visits every day of the
week. The park, in several places, has little beaches, a place of
leisure, where you can even swim on the banks of the Paraná River.
Another option is the boat ride on the Paraná River, passing through
several locations on Ilha Grande.
fauna and vegetation
Ilha
Grande is in a transition between the Cerrado (a characteristic of the
Pantanal) and the seasonal forest. The fauna has several endemic and/or
endangered species. Among the terrestrial fauna, species such as the
marsh deer (Blastocelus Dichotomus), the broad-snouted caiman (Caiman
Latorostris), the jaguar (Panthera onça), the tapir (Tapirus terestris)
and the anteater were recorded. -flag (Myrmecophata trydoctyla). Among
the aquatic fauna we can mention: Pintado (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans),
Jaú (Paulicea luetkeni), Armado (Pterodoras granulosos), Dorado
(Salminus maxillosus), Pacu (Piractus mesopotamicus); and from the
avifauna we can mention: jaburu (Jabiru mycteria), jaó (Cryptrellus
undulatus), curassow (Crax fasciolata), American spoonbill (Platalea
ajaja) and jacanâ (Jacana jacana).