Parque Nacional do Jaú

Novo Airão, Amazonas

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Description

This protected area safeguards one of the largest continuous stretches of tropical rainforest in the world. It stands out as the only park in Brazil that protects virtually the entire watershed of a blackwater river, the Jaú River. Its boundaries follow the Jaú River watershed and extend to the waters of the Carabinani River to the south and the Unini and Paunini rivers to the north. The Rio Negro forms the park's eastern boundary. The geological history of the whole region has important peculiarities, as Parque Nacional do Jaú sits both on ancient geological formations, from 100 to more than 500 million years old, and on geologically more recent formations, around two to six million years old. The park also holds relics of the history of human occupation in the region. Several archaeological sites and numerous rock inscriptions (petroglyphs) have been identified. The Parna do Jaú has been recognized as a Natural World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) and is part of the Rio Negro Ramsar Site.