The Juqueri State Park () is a
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...
in the state of
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
, Brazil.
It protects one of the last remnants of
cerrado
The Cerrado () is a vast ecoregion of Tropics, tropical savanna in central Brazil, being present in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Paraná ...
in the São Paulo metropolitan region, as well as areas of
Atlantic Forest.
In August 2021 a fire burnt half of the Land of the park.
Location
The Juqueri State Park is in the municipality of
Franco da Rocha, from
Praça da Sé in the center of
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
.
It has an area of .
The highest point has an altitude of .
The park is named after a common plant found on the banks of the rivers of the region, called yu-kery by the indigenous people, who extracted salt from it to season their food.
The plant is also known as "Sleeping Mary".
When touched, it closes its leaves for a while.
History
The area was a ranch, Fazenda Juquery, when it was acquired in 1895 by São Paulo state, under the direction of governor
José Alves de Cerqueira César. The state then built the Juquery Psychiatric Hospital, designed by the architect
Ramos de Azevedo, and the Juquery Agricultural Colony.
In 1989 the architectural complex, the collection of documents and the green area of the Fazenda Juquery were registered by the Council for Protection of the Historical, Archaeological, Artistic and Tourist Heritage of the State of São Paulo (CONDEPHAAT).
The Juqueri State Park was created in June 1993 through Decree No. 36,859 to conserve important remnants of native vegetation and to preserve the water sources of the Cantareira System.
12 of 20 square kilometer of the park burnt in August 2021. The fire has been caused by a
hot air balloon
A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...
and extinguished by 100 firemen.
Environment
The park contains one of the last remnants of
cerrado
The Cerrado () is a vast ecoregion of Tropics, tropical savanna in central Brazil, being present in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Paraná ...
in the São Paulo metropolitan region, as well as areas of
Atlantic Forest.
It is home to diverse flora and fauna.
The park is threatened by wildfires and invasion by exotic species such as North American pines and Mexican agaves.
The park is increasingly surrounded by urban areas.
The Serra da Cantareira Forest Reserve is nearby, but the corridor linking the park to the reserve is not protected and may soon be urbanized, leading to
loss of biodiversity and sustainability.
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Juqueri State Park
State parks of Brazil
Protected areas established in 1993
1993 establishments in Brazil
Protected areas of São Paulo (state)