
A protected area mosaic ( pt, mosaico de áreas protegidas) or conservation unit mosaic ( pt, mosaico de unidades de conservação) in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
is a
mosaic
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
of nearby, adjoining or overlapping
protected areas of Brazil that are managed as a whole.
Definition
The National System of Conservation Units (SNUC) law defines a mosaic as a collection of protected areas of the same or different categories that are near to each other, adjoin each other or overlap, and that should be managed as a whole.
Given the different categories of conservation unit and other protected areas in a mosaic, including fully protected and sustainable use units, the different conservation goals must be considered.
A mosaic may include private lands and indigenous territories.
Examples
The Jacupiranga Mosaic is in the Ribeira Valley and the south coast of the state of
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
, with 14 conservation units of various categories.
It was created to reconcile the goals of conserving the
Atlantic Forest
The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and t ...
and improving the living conditions of the traditional populations of the area.
It originated with the
Jacupiranga State Park
The Jacupiranga State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual de Jacupiranga) was a state park in São Paulo, Brazil.
It covered a large, mountainous region that included untouched Atlantic Forest and land occupied by traditional communities.
When the park wa ...
, created on 8 August 1969, and includes the
Rio Turvo and
Caverna do Diabo
Caverna da Tapagem (English language, English: ''Hurdle's Cave'') (SP-002), also Caverna do Diabo (English language, English: ''Devil's Cave''), is a cave located within the Caverna do Diabo State Park next to the Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park, i ...
state parks.
It also includes four
environmental protection areas, five
sustainable development reserves and two
extractive reserves.
The
Itatiaia National Park
Itatiaia National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia), established in 1937, is the oldest national park in Brazil.
It is located on the border between the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais.
Location
The Itatiaia National Park is the ...
, created in 1937 as the first
national park in Brazil, is part of the
Mantiqueira Mosaic and the Mantiqueira Ecological Corridor, part of the larger
Serra do Mar Ecological Corridor, which in turn is part of the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...
-recognised
Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve.
The park is a vulnerable "conservation island" due to its location between the major cities of
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...
and
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
.
Brazil has created a mosaic of federal and state conservation units along the
BR-319
BR-319 is an federal highway that links Manaus, Amazonas to Porto Velho, Rondônia.
The highway runs through a pristine part of the Amazon rainforest.
It was opened by the military government in 1973 but soon deteriorated, and by 1988 was imp ...
highway through the Amazon rainforest in an effort to better prevent deforestation when the highway is paved through more efficient management of a larger area.
However, WWF-Brazil has pointed out that it is not enough to simply create the protected areas on paper.
They must be staffed, delimited, legal owners compensated and so on.
The
Terra do Meio Mosaic is in
Pará
Pará is a state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest are the borders of Guyana a ...
state between the
Xingu and
Tapajós
The Tapajós ( pt, Rio Tapajós ) is a river in Brazil. It runs through the Amazon Rainforest and is a major tributary of the Amazon River. When combined with the Juruena River, the Tapajós is approximately long. It is one of the largest cle ...
rivers.
It was created after the death of Sister
Dorothy Stang, who was campaigning against illegal exploitation of the forests.
It includes the
Terra do Meio Ecological Station
Terra do Meio Ecological Station ( pt, Estação Ecológica da Terra do Meio) is an ecological station (ESEC) in the state of Pará, Brazil.
Location
The Terra do Meio Ecological Station has an area of .
It covers parts of the municipalities of ...
, a strictly protected conservation, created despite the presence of long-standing residents.
The residents, who live along the
Iriri River
The Iriri River ( pt, Rio Iriri, ; Mẽbêngôkre: ''Kororoti'', ) is a large tributary of the Xingu River in Brazil, in the state of Pará. It is long making it the 116th longest river in the world (with Krishna River, India) and the 15th long ...
, have been placed under intense pressure to evacuate the area.
The
Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park
Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Veadeiros) is a national park of Brazil located in the state of Goiás, on the top of an ancient plateau with an estimated age of 1.8 billion years. The park was created o ...
in the state of
Goiás
Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goiânia. ...
, Brazil, was expanded by Federal Decree in September 2001 and inscribed as a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
in December 2001.
In 2003 the expansion was successfully challenged and 72% of the national park lost its protection status.
The park is part of the
Cerrado Biosphere Reserve
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 biom ...
.
Brazil has outlined plans for a mosaic of new conservation units with different management categories covering an equivalent area to the expanded National Park, but
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...
has questioned whether the mosaic will be sufficient to ensure the statutory protection required for the World Heritage properties.
Partial list
References
Sources
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{{Protected areas of Brazil
Nature conservation in Brazil
Types of protected area of Brazil