The Serra do Mar Environmental Protection Area ( pt, Área de Proteção Ambiental Serra do Mar) is an environmental protection area in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It controls land use in an extensive area of

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 th ...

in the Serra do Mar range.

Location

The Serra do Mar Environmental Protection Area is divided between the municipalities of Capão Bonito (5.23%), Eldorado (18.97%),

Guapiara Guapiara is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 17,025 (2020 est.) in an area of 408 km². Its elevation is 750 m. The municipality contains part of the Serra do Mar Environmental Protection Area, created in 198 ...

(0.08%), Ibiúna (0.48%), Iporanga (5.63%),

Juquiá Juquiá is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 18,718 (2020 est.) in an area of 813 km². The elevation is 17 m. The municipality contains part of the Serra do Mar Environmental Protection Area The Serra do Ma ...

(16.76%), Juquitiba (2.4%),

Miracatu Miracatu is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 19,643 (2020 est.) in an area of 1001 km². The elevation is 27 m. The municipality contains part of the Serra do Mar Environmental Protection Area, created in 198 ...

(16.55%), Pedro de Toledo (2.43%),

Ribeirão Grande Ribeirão Grande is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 7,679 (2020 est.) in an area of 333 km2. The elevation is 690 m. The municipality contains part of the Serra do Mar Environmental Protection Area, ...

(2.51%), Sete Barras (15.59%) and Tapiraí (13.38%) in the state of São Paulo. It has an area of . It is in the south of the state, and covers part of the Ribeira de Iguape River basin. It provides the main link between the Serra do Mar State Park and the other conservation units in the

Vale do Ribeira Vale do Ribeira is a region in the south of the state of São Paulo and the northeast of the state of Paraná, Brazil. It contains a large part of the Ribeira de Iguape River valley, from which it takes its name, as well as the coastal Iguape-C ...

. The APA is part of the

Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve The Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve, or Mata Atlântica Biosphere Reserve (MABR, pt, Reserva da Biosfera da Mata Atlântica) is a biosphere reserve covering remnants of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, including fully protected and sustainable use ...

, recognized by UNESCO as the first such reserve in Brazil and one of the largest in the world to cover a forest area.

History

The Serra do Mar Environmental Protection Area was created by SP governor Franco Montoro by decree 22.717 of 21 September 1984, protecting the slopes of the Serra de Paranapiacaba and adjoining region. It excluded the Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park and the Jacupiranga State Park from the Serra do Mar APA. Decree 43.651 of 26 September 1998 stated that the APA did not include land recognized as the property of the remnants of quilombo communities. The main objective is to protect a part of the Serra do Mar that is covered by an extensive area of

, one of the best-preserved areas of the center-south region of Brazil, with great diversity of fauna and flora including endemic and endangered species. Law 10.850 of 6 July 2001 altered the boundaries of the Jacupiranga State Park to exclude the quilombola communities of Nhunguara, Sapatu and André Lopes, and the Intervales State Park to exclude the quilombola communities of Pilões, Maria Rosa, São Pedro, Ivaporunduva and Pedro Cubas. These communities were included in the Serra do Mar APA. Law 12.810 of 21 February 2008 altered the boundaries of the Jacupiranga State Park, conservation units and Jacupiranga Mosaic. The quilombola communities that had formerly been in the Intervales State Park were made part of the

Quilombos do Médio Ribeira Environmental Protection Area The Quilombos do Médio Ribeira Environmental Protection Area ( pt, Área de Proteção Ambiental dos Quilombos do Médio Ribeira) is an environmental protection area in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It supports sustainable development of comm ...

. São Paulo state decree 58.148 of 21 June 2012 created the Paranapiacaba Conservation Units Mosaic, including the Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park, Intervales State Park, Carlos Botelho State Park, Xitué Ecological Station,

Nascentes do Paranapanema State Park The Nascentes do Paranapanema State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual Nascentes do Paranapanema is a state park in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It protects part of the largest remnant of Atlantic Forest in Brazil. Location The Nascentes do Paranap ...

and the portion of the Serra do Mar Environmental Protection Area in the municipalities of Eldorado, Sete Barras, Tapiraí,

and Capão Bonito. The purpose was to promote integrated and participatory management of the conservation units, and to seek to guarantee conservation of the areas covered.

Notes

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Serra do Mar Environmental Protection Area Environmental protection areas of Brazil Protected areas established in 1984 1984 establishments in Brazil Protected areas of São Paulo (state)