The Ilha Grande National Park (Parque Nacional de Ilha Grande) is in the area where the states of Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul meet in Brazil. The park was established in 1997 to help protect the variety of plants and animals living in the upper Parana River region.
History
The Ilha Grande National Park was established by a decree without a specific number issued by the President of the Republic on September 30, 1997. Today, the park is managed by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio).
Characterization area
The park covers an area of 78,875 hectares (194,900 acres) and includes all islands and small islands from the Itaipu reservoir and the mouth of the Piquiri River to the mouths of the Amambai and Ivaí Rivers on the Paraná River. Major islands within the park include Grande, Peruzzi, Peacock, and Bandeirantes. The park also includes wetlands and floodplains along the Paraná River, as well as areas near lakes, lagoons, and the Seawall Macaws. Water used for navigation on the river is not part of the Ilha Grande National Park.
Ilha Grande National Park is next to nine municipalities: Guaíra, Altônia, São Jorge do Patrocínio, Alto Paraíso, and Icaraíma in the state of Paraná; and Mundo Novo, Eldorado, Itaquirai, and Naviraí in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.
The park protects important archaeological sites. These areas were once home to the Guarani Indians and the Xetás people.
Tourism and attractions
The park is free for everyone to visit on tours every day of the week. In many areas, the park has small beaches and places to relax near the banks of the Paraná River. Another activity is taking a boat ride on the Paraná River, which visits different areas of Ilha Grande.
Wildlife and vegetation
Ilha Grande is an area that changes from a type of dry forest found in Pantanal to a seasonal forest. The area has many animal species that are found only there or are in danger of disappearing. Some land animals include the marsh deer (Blastocelus dichotomus), the alligator-the-crop-yellow (Caiman Latorostris), the jaguar (Panthera onca), the tapir (Tapirus terestris), and the giant anteater (Myrmecophata trydoctyla). Water animals in the area include the painted fish (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans), the jaú (Paulicea luetkeni), the armed catfish (Pterodoras granular), the gold fish (Salminus maxillosus), and the pacu (piractus mesopotamicus). Birds found in the area include the jabiru (Jabiru mycteria), the jaó (Cryptrellus undulatus), the curassow (Crax fasciolata), the American spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), and the Jacana (Jacana jacana).
Fishing rules were created on October 2, 2008, to protect areas and their surrounding regions in the Paraná River basin. These areas include the Morro do Diabo State Park, Rio do Peixe State Park, Aguapeí State Park, Mico Leão Preto Ecological Station, Ivinhema State Park, Ilha Grande National Park, Caiuá Ecological Station, and Iguaçu National Park. The Santa Maria Ecological Corridor connects the Iguaçu National Park to the protected areas along Lake Itaipu and from there to the Ilha Grande National Park. The park is part of a planned Trinational Biodiversity Corridor, which aims to link protected forest areas in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina in the Upper Paraná ecoregion.