Serra da Canastra National Park

TheRede Nacional Pró Unidades de Conservação [National Network For Protected Areas] calls the society to request for the Federal Government the full maintenance of the Serra da Canastra National Park's territory and its effective implementation.

The Campaign

The Brazilian Cerrado [Savannah] is one of the biomes that presents a tremendous biodiversity and it is considered as being one of the 25 hot spots of the planet. The biome is estimated to contain 1/3 of the Brazilian fauna, which corresponds to 5% of the world fauna.

Originally, the Savannah extended throughout 13 Brazilian States, comprising 25% of the national territory. In the last decades however, 50% of the biome was totally destroyed and other 30% was modified to some degree. Among the remaining 20%, only 4% is under some kind of protected areas.

The Serra da Canastra National Park, situated in the Southwest of the State of Minas Gerais, is the sixth largest and one of the most important protected area in the Savannah and, with its 198,380.00 ha, represents 3.9% of the biome's protected area.

Endowed with an inestimable biologic richness, the Park presents a high level of endemism, with 50 endemic flora species, and encompasses numberless rare fauna species that are endangered worldwide, like, for instance, the Brazilian Merganser. It is also the refuge of a great part of the big-size mammal fauna, endangered in virtually all the biomes due to environmental fragmentation.

It is within the Serra da Canastra National Park's boundaries that are located the headwaters of two of the major Brazilian Hydrological basins: the Paraná River and the São Francisco River.

In spite of its importance, the Serra da Canastra National Park has been severely yhreatened: to have its area drastically reduced.

Due to particular interests, especially of large international companies and large rural projects, a small group has taken advantage of the atill unsolved land tenure situation of the Park, to pressure for the redesign the limits of that protect area according to the interests of the group. Based on a reason of extraordinary economic profits in the region, this group has not only fostered a regional manifestation against the Park, but also acted within political spheres in an attempt to change the Park's boundaries and drastically reduce its area.

A Federal protected area is a matter of interest of the intire population. It can not be redesigned to meet private interests. The society can not accept such precedent.


The Campaign \| Importance \| Dangers \| The Conflict \| Take part and defend our natural heritage \| Português \| English \|
	TheRede Nacional Pró Unidades de Conservação [National Network For Protected Areas] calls the society to request for the Federal Government the full maintenance of the Serra da Canastra National Park's territory and its effective implementation. The Campaign The Brazilian Cerrado [Savannah] is one of the biomes that presents a tremendous biodiversity and it is considered as being one of the 25 hot spots of the planet. The biome is estimated to contain 1/3 of the Brazilian fauna, which corresponds to 5% of the world fauna. Originally, the Savannah extended throughout 13 Brazilian States, comprising 25% of the national territory. In the last decades however, 50% of the biome was totally destroyed and other 30% was modified to some degree. Among the remaining 20%, only 4% is under some kind of protected areas. The Serra da Canastra National Park, situated in the Southwest of the State of Minas Gerais, is the sixth largest and one of the most important protected area in the Savannah and, with its 198,380.00 ha, represents 3.9% of the biome's protected area. Endowed with an inestimable biologic richness, the Park presents a high level of endemism, with 50 endemic flora species, and encompasses numberless rare fauna species that are endangered worldwide, like, for instance, the Brazilian Merganser. It is also the refuge of a great part of the big-size mammal fauna, endangered in virtually all the biomes due to environmental fragmentation. It is within the Serra da Canastra National Park's boundaries that are located the headwaters of two of the major Brazilian Hydrological basins: the Paraná River and the São Francisco River. In spite of its importance, the Serra da Canastra National Park has been severely yhreatened: to have its area drastically reduced. Due to particular interests, especially of large international companies and large rural projects, a small group has taken advantage of the atill unsolved land tenure situation of the Park, to pressure for the redesign the limits of that protect area according to the interests of the group. Based on a reason of extraordinary economic profits in the region, this group has not only fostered a regional manifestation against the Park, but also acted within political spheres in an attempt to change the Park's boundaries and drastically reduce its area. A Federal protected area is a matter of interest of the intire population. It can not be redesigned to meet private interests. The society can not accept such precedent.