The Rio São Francisco Natural Monument () is a

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities, or cultural significance. They can be natural geological and geographical features such as w ...

in the states of

Alagoas Alagoas () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco (N and NW); Sergipe (S); Bahia (SW); and the Atlantic Ocean (E). Its capital is ...

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

and

Sergipe Sergipe (), officially State of Sergipe, is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil. Located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region along the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the country, Sergipe is the smallest state in Brazil by geogra ...

, Brazil. It protects a section of dramatic canyons on the

São Francisco River The São Francisco River (, ) is a large Rivers of Brazil, river in Brazil. With a length of , it is the longest river that runs entirely in Brazilian territory, and the fourth longest in South America and overall in Brazil (after the Amazon R ...

and the surrounding

caatinga Caatinga () is a type of semi-arid tropical vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in interior northeastern Brazil. The name "Caatinga" comes from the Tupi word '' ka'atinga'', meaning "white forest" or "white vegetat ...

environment, while supporting tourism and ecotourism.

Location

The Rio São Francisco Natural Monument is in 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" comes from the Tupi word '' ka'atinga'', meaning "white forest" or "white vegetat ...

biome. It has an area of . The conservation unit extends along both sides of the

from the bridge between Alagoas and Bahia just below the

Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric Complex The Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric Complex (Complexo Hidrelétrico de Paulo Afonso), also known as the Paulo Afonso Complex, is a system of three dams and five hydroelectric power plants on the São Francisco River near the city of Paulo Afonso in ...

to a little north of the

Xingó Dam The Xingó Dam is a concrete face rock-fill dam on the São Francisco River on the border of Alagoas and Sergipe, near Piranhas, Brazil. The dam was built for navigation, water supply and hydroelectric power generation as it supports a power stat ...

above

Canindé de São Francisco Canindé de São Francisco () is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Sergipe. Its population was 30,402 (2020) and its area is . Conservation The municipality holds part of the Rio São Francisco Natural Monument, which protects th ...

. It is in parts of the municipalities of

Delmiro Gouveia Delmiro Gouveia is a municipality located in the westernmost point of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population is 52,262 (2020) and its area is 609 km2. The municipality holds part of the Rio São Francisco Natural Monument, which ...

Olho d'Água do Casado Olho d'Água do Casado is a municipality located in the western of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population is 9,441 (2020) and its area is . The municipality holds part of the Rio São Francisco Natural Monument, which protects the spec ...

and

Piranhas A piranha (, or ; ) is any of a number of freshwater fish species in the subfamily Serrasalminae, of the family Serrasalmidae, in the order Characiformes. These fish inhabit South American rivers, floodplains, lakes and reservoirs. Although o ...

in Alagoas,

Paulo Afonso Paulo Afonso is a city in Bahia, Brazil. It was founded in 1958. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paulo Afonso. The city is served by Paulo Afonso Airport. The municipality contains part of the Raso da Catarina ecoregi ...

in Bahia and

in Sergipe. The area for the natural monument is semi-arid, with typical caatinga vegetation, and subject to

desertification Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of Soil fertility, fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities. The immediate cause of desertification is the loss of most vegetation. This i ...

. It has sandstone formations more than a billion years old, which have their own flora and endemic species. These include the endangered

blue-winged macaw The blue-winged macaw (''Primolius maracana''), in aviculture more commonly known as Illiger's macaw, is a species of small macaw (sometimes called a mini-macaw) found in central and eastern South America. The second name is in honor of the Germ ...

(Primolius maracana) and a newly reported skink of the

Mabuya ''Mabuya'' is a genus of long-tailed skinks, lizards in the family Scincidae. The genus is restricted to species from various Caribbean islands. Out of 26 recognized species, six species are only found in Caribbean islands. Species in the genus ...

genus.

Conservation

The Rio São Francisco Natural Monument was created by decree on 5 June 2009 and is administered by the federal

Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation The Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation ( Portuguese: ''Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade'', ICMBio) is a government agency under the administration of the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment. It is nam ...

. 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 ...

III (natural monument or feature). The purpose is to preserve a natural ecosystem of great ecological relevance and scenic beauty, enabling scientific research and environmental education, recreation in contact with nature and ecological tourism. The monument protects the canyons of the São Francisco River, the reservoir of the Xingó dam and the rock sites of the Malhada Grande / Rio do Sal complex in Paulo Afonso. The monument did not expropriate land, and was expected to strengthen

sustainable tourism Sustainable tourism is a concept that covers the complete tourism experience, including concern for Impacts of tourism, economic, social, and environmental issues as well as attention to improving tourists' experiences and addressing the needs o ...

and ecotourism. Mining is allowed in the buffer zone. Sustainable fishing and low impact agriculture can continue in areas where these activities were practised in the past, subject to the conservation unit's management plan. Freedom of navigation in the river is maintained, also subject to the management plan. Tourism has become a major local industry. Tourists may take boat rides through the river's magnificent canyons. File:Rio Sao Francisco Paulo Afonso.jpg, Near Paulo Afonso File:Xingo 4.jpg, Xingo canyon tour boat File:Passeio de barco ao cânion do Xingó -Rio São Francisco 02.jpg, Boat in Xingo canyon

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rio Sao Francisco Natural Monument Natural monuments of Brazil 2009 establishments in Brazil Protected areas of Alagoas Protected areas of Bahia Protected areas of Sergipe Paulo Afonso