National Park of Chapada das Mesas

The National Park of Chapada das Mesas protects 160,046 hectares of Cerrado in the municipalities of Carolina, Riachão, Strait and Empress, in south-central Maranhao.

According to the director of ecosystems IBAMA - Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, Valmir Ortega, the creation of the park is part of the efforts of environmental agencies of the Federal Government to increase the protected area in the Cerrado. Just over 2.5% of the region is protected in units of federal and state conservation. According to Ortega, the pressure to further deforestation driven by charcoal and open up new areas for agriculture is very strong. "It's a race against time to save the remaining large," he said.

The region that is now housed within the National Park is extremely rich in species of animals and plants, not to mention the high tourist potential due to the natural beauty of Chapada das Mesas. The Federal Government's plans include the creation of new protected areas in Maranhao, forming a "mosaic" with parks and state and federal and Indian lands. The creation of the park was discussed and evaluated since 2004, but gained momentum earlier this year with the completion of field studies have shown that the ecological, social, economic and cultural region.

Extreme Sports

* Cavalcade
* Off Road or off road
* Skydiving
* Mountain Bike
* Canyoning
* Trekking
* Paragliding
* Arborism or Canopy
* Rafting