Parque Estadual Serra do Mar - Núcleo Cunha

Cunha, São Paulo

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Description

Located at the northern end of the state park, the Núcleo Cunha protects an important remnant of cloud forest, more than a thousand meters above sea level, with large trees such as cedar, peroba, maçaranduba, araucaria, canela, and ipê, which host bromeliads, orchids, ferns, lichens, and lianas. Its forests protect important water sources that supply the cities of the Vale do Paraíba and even Rio de Janeiro. The rugged terrain favors the formation of waterfalls, especially on the Bonito, Ipiranga, and Paraibuna rivers, making this unit of special interest for ecotourism. The high-altitude forests are home to many unique species at risk of extinction, such as the buffy-tufted marmoset, the southern muriqui, and the sauá (a titi monkey). More than 240 bird species have been recorded in the unit, some of them threatened, such as the solitary tinamou, black-fronted piping guan, black-and-gold cotinga, pileated parrot, blackish-blue seedeater, red-ruffed fruitcrow, ornate hawk-eagle, and pomba-pararu. You can also see the small-billed tinamou and the rufous-tailed antthrush.