The Delta do Parnaíba Environmental Protection Area ( pt, Área de Proteção Ambiental Delta do Parnaíba) is a federally-administered
environmental protection area that covers parts of the coasts of the states of
Maranhão
Maranhão () is a state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of . Clockwise from north, it borders on the Atlantic Ocean for 2,243 km and the states of Piauí, Tocantins and ...
,
Piauí
Piaui (, ) is one of the states of Brazil, located in the country's Northeast Region. The state has 1.6% of the Brazilian population and produces 0.7% of the Brazilian GDP.
Piaui has the shortest coastline of any coastal Brazilian state at 66 ...
and
Ceará
Ceará (, pronounced locally as or ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is the eighth-largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of th ...
, Brazil.
Location
In Maranhão the Delta do Parnaíba Environmental Protection Area (APA) covers parts of the municipalities of
Água Doce do Maranhão,
Araioses
Araioses is the easternmost city in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. It lies near the Parnaíba River's delta, and its territory also include the Canárias, Desgraça, Coroatá and Grande de Paulino islands, apart from several smaller islands.
...
,
Paulino Neves and
Tutóia.
In Piauí the APA covers parts of the municipalities of
Cajueiro da Praia,
Ilha Grande
Ilha Grande ( "Big Island") is an island located off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. The island, which is part of the municipality of Angra dos Reis, remains largely undeveloped. For almost a century it was closed by the Brazilian go ...
,
Luís Correia and
Parnaíba
Parnaíba () is a city in the Brazilian state of Piauí. Having a population of over 150,000 inhabitants according to IBGE's 2020 report, it is the second most populous city in the state, after the capital Teresina. It is one of the four coast ...
. Parnaiba is the second largest city in Piaui state and has an airport with 2 weekly (Sunday and Wednesday) flights from Campinas (Sao Paulo) by Azul Linhas Aereas. In 2021, VoePass airlines together Gol airlines started selling tickets (daily flights) to Parnaiba from Fortaleza (Gol 's Hub in the Northeast Brazil) and Teresina (capital of Piaui state).
In Ceará the APA covers parts of the municipalities of
Barroquinha Barroquinha is a community in the Brazilian state of Ceará. The population was estimated at 15,044 in 2020.
The municipality contains part of the Delta do Parnaíba Environmental Protection Area
The Delta do Parnaíba Environmental Protection A ...
and
Chaval.
It has a total area of .
The APA contains the
Delta do Parnaíba Marine Extractive Reserve.
To the southeast it adjoins the federal
Serra da Ibiapaba Environmental Protection Area.
It adjoins the
Lençóis Maranhenses National Park
Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (''Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses'') is a national park in Maranhão state in northeastern Brazil, just east of the Baía de São José. Protected on June 2, 1981, the park includes of coastline, ...
to the north and the
Upaon-Açu/Miritiba/Alto Preguiças Environmental Protection Area to the west.
History
The Delta do Parnaíba Environmental Protection Area was created by federal decree on 28 August 1996 to protect the deltas of the
Parnaíba
Parnaíba () is a city in the Brazilian state of Piauí. Having a population of over 150,000 inhabitants according to IBGE's 2020 report, it is the second most populous city in the state, after the capital Teresina. It is one of the four coast ...
,
Timonha and
Ubatuba
Ubatuba is a Brazilian municipality, located on the southeast coast, in the state of São Paulo. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte. The population is 92,819 (2021 est.) in an area of 723.88 km², of whi ...
Rivers, their fauna and flora and dune complex.
It is classed as
IUCN protected area category
IUCN protected area categories, or IUCN protected area management categories, are categories used to classify protected areas in a system developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The enlisting of such areas is part ...
V: protected landscape / seascape.
The APA aims to protect remnants of alluvial forest and water resources, and to improve the quality of life of the resident populations through guidance and discipline of economic activities.
It also aims to promote ecological tourism and environmental education, and to preserve local cultures and traditions.
It is administered by the
Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation
The Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation ( Portuguese: ''Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade'', ICMBio) is the Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), ...
.
The management plan was published in 1998.
The consultative council was created on 10 December 2007.
Environment
The interior of the Parnaíba delta contain large fields of mobile dunes, mostly with a NE-SW orientation.
Some are partially stabilized by creepers and shrubs.
The dunes are unstable due to the action of tides, winds and rivers, and to recent movements of the crustal floor.
Average temperatures are fairly constant through the year, from .
Annual rainfall is about , with 80% falling from January to May.
The driest period is from August to November.
The region is one where the
caatinga
Caatinga (, ) is a type of semi-arid tropical vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in interior northeastern Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation" (''caa'' = forest, v ...
formations to the east meet
cerrado
The ''Cerrado'' (, ) is a vast ecoregion of tropical savanna in eastern Brazil, particularly in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Minas Gerais, and the Federal District. The core areas of the Cerrado biome are ...
to the southwest and marine systems to the north.
There are high levels of biodiversity, rarity and endemism.
Vegetation includes coastal
caatinga
Caatinga (, ) is a type of semi-arid tropical vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in interior northeastern Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation" (''caa'' = forest, v ...
,
restinga
Restingas () are a distinct type of coastal tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest in eastern Brazil. They form on sandy, acidic, and nutrient-poor soils, and are characterized by medium-sized trees and shrubs adapted to the drier and nut ...
,
mangrove
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in several ...
and flood zones with
carnaúba palm
''Copernicia prunifera'' or the carnaúba palm or carnaubeira palm () is a species of palm tree native to northeastern Brazil (mainly the states of Ceará, Piauí, Maranhão, Rio Grande do Norte and Bahia). Known by many as 'tree of life' becaus ...
s.
Protected species in the APA include
red-handed howler (''Alouatta belzebul'') and
smalltooth sawfish (''Pristis pectinata'').
Threats include conversion of habitat for farming and aquaculture, and uncontrolled extraction of resources.
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Delta do Parnaíba Environmental Protection Area
Environmental protection areas of Brazil
Protected areas established in 1996
1996 establishments in Brazil
Protected areas of Maranhão
Protected areas of Piauí
Protected areas of Ceará