Araucárias National Park (Portuguese: Parque Nacional das Araucárias) is located in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Location
The Araucárias National Park is located in the Santa Catarina municipalities of Passos Maia and Ponte Serrada. The protected area was created on October 19, 2005, and covers 12,841 hectares (31,730 acres). The park is managed by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation. The area receives an average of 1,930 millimeters (76 inches) of rainfall each year. The average temperature is 17°C (63°F). The park is situated on the Campos Gerais, a plateau that slopes gently toward the west. The land elevation ranges from 805 to 1,218 meters (2,641 to 3,996 feet).
The vegetation near the park includes native secondary forests at various stages of regrowth, forests that have been cut down, reforested areas with non-native species like pine and eucalyptus, farmland, and pastures. A 500-meter (1,600-foot) buffer zone surrounds the park, containing small farms, agrarian reform settlements, soybean fields, and cattle ranches. The forest includes the native Araucaria angustifolia, which is part of a mixed rainforest, as well as other endangered species such as Dicksonia sellowiana and Ocotea porosa. The forest helps protect the water quality of the Chapecó, Chapecozinho, Mato, and Caratuva rivers.
Conservation
The park is a type of protected area called a national park under the IUCN category II. Its main goal is to protect natural areas that contain parts of the Araucária Forest and plants from the Atlantic Forest biome, which are in danger because of human activities. The park helps with scientific research, environmental education, outdoor recreation, and eco-tourism. Threats to the park include wild boars, stray domestic animals, damaged areas, and the hunting of wild animals. Some protected species in the park are the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), helmeted woodpecker (Dryocopus galeatus), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), and cougar (Puma concolor).
- Araucária
- Stand of araucárias
- Deforested area