Destinations Emas National Park
PARQUE NATIONAL DAS EMAS(EMAS NATIONAL PARK)INTRODUCTION:It is the Cerrado biome that covers 22.7% of the Brazilian landscape, principally on the Planoalto, or High Plain. In the heart of the Cerrado lies Emas National Park. Spanning over 133,000 hectares, it is the largest area of preserved Cerrado in the world. Amidst the lush vegetation, the visitor can observe animals such as the Giant Anteater, Pampas Deer, Maned Wolves, Rheas, Blue-and-yellow Macaws, Tuco Tucans, Anacondas and other diverse species, many in danger of extinction. DESCRIPTION:The park contains a diverse mixture of ecosytems from the Cerradão, a vast expanse of open forests with trees of greater height than those in the neighbooring Scrublands, or Cerrado (woodlands of short, twisted tree with waxy leaves and cork-like bark), the Mata Ciliar, or gallery forests (foliage which grows along the course of rivers) where some 80-90% of the animal species are found, the Campo Úmido (the rich grass covered riverbank fields which remain partially flooded), the Campo Limpo or grasslands, the Campo Sujo with shorter grasses, shrubs and woody vegetation, and bogs (Buritizais) with an abundance of Buriti palms. LOCATION:Principally in the Southwest of Goais, the park includes areas in Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. HISTORY:Unlike other Brazilian National Parks which were created through legislation, the land for Parque Nacional das Emas was donated by the rancher Filigônio Garcia for environmental preservation. However, due to the lack of properly defined boundries and ineffective legislation, 90% of the original area was taken over by other ranchers and converted to farmland to cultivate soybeans, cotton, sunflower, millet and other crops. The park was created as a reserve of 131,000 hectares in 1972, with help from members of the local community. ECOLOGICAL THREATS:The part of the park that serves as a sanctuary is much less than its total area. There are problems both on the outskirts of the park as well as within its limits. Many animals are run over along the transportation routes that pass through the park while others consume agro-toxins when they leave the sanctuary for adjacent soy fields as a result of deforestation of the gallery forests along the rivers that should provide a protective habitat. Rheas consume up to 30% of their body weight in nearby soy fields, in some cases while aircraft are spraying agro toxins overhead. Only about 20% of neighboring plantations are legally deeded. The problem is simple: when no one charges, no one preserves the environment (a legally registered plantation or ranch must place 20% of its land in permanent reserve). Fires set intentionally to clear land cheaply rampage out of control destroying habitat and killing slower moving mammals such as Armadillos, Tamanduas and Giant Anteaters. SPECIES:Larger species include Pampas Deer, Giant Anteater and Greater Rhea, or "Emas" as they are called in Portuguese. Maned Wolf are frequently seen roaming the grasses in search of tinamou and other prey. Nine-banded armadillos and Pacas are common. The park holds the greatest concentration of Blue-and-Yellow Macaws outside Amazonia, and Blue-winged, Red-shouldered and Red-bellied Macaws can also be seen. The park headquarters building for scientists are visited daily by a pair of Bare-faced Currasows, White Woodpeckers, Streamer-tailed Tyrants and other majestic birds. The population of jararacas in the park is aproximately one million, as many as all of the other snake species combined including anacondas, coral snakes, cipós and jibóias. The snakes, like the other animals, don´t present a threat to properly informed consciencious tourists. HIGHLIGHTS:Parque Nacional das Emas is the largest continious area of preserved cerrado in Brazil, ...and the world. The park has a scientific research area, and protection for rare species such as the Maned Wolf, Gato-palheiro and the nearly extinct Cachorro-do-mato. The park holds the largest concentration of termite mounds in the world. An incredible spectacle occurs each year with the coming of the rains in September until sometime in December. The hatching of millions of luminous firefly larvae during the termite breeding season with the timing of the rains serve to illuminate the fields at night. THE CYCLE OF LIFE:The Cerrado accounts for almost 23% of the Brazilian territory, as it has for about 11,000 years, the same epoch in which human occupation of the area occurred and the beginning of the period of fires in the region, both natural and man-made. Life adapted to the constant threat of fire; seeds that germinate as a result of fires, trees with thick bark to protect them, the indaiá palm with its underground stalk; the deer who find abundant food in the re-born vegetation of soils that become fertile with the release of nutrients after the fires. During part of the year, the EmasNational Park, and adjacent areas become more arid; however, the soil remains moist the entire year with ever flowing rivers and perennial waterfalls. It is easy to perceive the annual cycle of life punctuated by the seasons of rain, of drought, and by fire. The outset of the rainy season is period of reproduction for termites and the hatching of the voracious luminous larvae of at least 37 species of fireflies that scale the termite mounds to confuse and consume the winged termites. In the height of the rainy season a plethora of birds arrive from the Pantanal increasing the number of observable bird species to over 250. After the rains, more then 70 varieties of fruits and berries ripen, and it is in the dry season that it is easiest to sight dear, anteaters, rheas, other mammals and rodents including the capybara. TRIP TYPE:EMAS NATIONAL PARK OFFERS THREE TYPES OF TRIPS:
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