Brazil: Parks and Protected Areas
Report prepared by Shawn Bergman and Taras Dahl, students in Bit's Fish, Wildlife and Recreation Program.
Due to the precious and diverse ecosystem in Brazil, parks and protected areas are very important. The newly created Tumucumaque National Park covers almost 39,000 km2. It will protect an important part of the Amazon Forest with species, mainly fish and aquatic birds, found nowhere else on Earth. The park is also home to a large number of primates and other mammals such as sloths, jaguars, and freshwater turtles.
In Brazil fire has been used as a tool in agriculture and forestry. It is used in the development of new areas (slash and burn agriculture) or to clean meadows of organic residues, weeds and pests. If these fires get out of control they can become forest fires, at times with devastating results. The Provincial Park Rio Doce which was established in 1944, is an example of how a Protected Area can successfully be protected against fire damages. The Protected Area is managed by the state-level Forest Institute IEF. The project goal is protection and sustainable development in Protected Areas, including their buffer zones. Special emphasis is given to institutional co-operation and the participation of local people.
Funded by TEK