Where we are
The Serra do Brigadeiro State Park
The Serra do Brigadeiro State Park
The idea of creating a park in the Serra do Brigadeiro mountain range dates back to the 1980s. In the early 1990s a proposal was made to include all the land above 1000 m, covering an area of 33,000 ha. This met with considerable resistance from family farmers living in the region, and ushered in a period of lengthy negotiation. As a result of these discussions the park boundaries were finally restricted to 15,000 hectares. The Park’s mission is to protect the Atlantic Rainforest in the Serra do Brigadeiro, to facilitate research, education and ecotourism, and to contribute towards the welfare of the local communities.
It’s a privilege for Iracambi to be located so close to the park, and we do all we can to support park staff in their efforts to care for the environment and win hearts and minds among the local community. For many years we have played an active role in the advisory board of the park, and we are committed to protect and expand the area of protected forest in which we are lucky enough to live.
The Serra do Brigadeiro mountains
The Serra do Brigadeiro State Park shelters the most important remnant of seasonal semi-deciduous Atlantic Forest in the state of Minas Gerais, it’s part of the UN Biosphere Reserve, and better still, it’s right on Iracambi’s doorstep!
The forests are home to a great variety of endangered animal and plant species, some of which are still unknown to science. Among the wide variety of local fauna are mountain lion, ocelot, wild pig, deer, wild dog, banded anteater, squirrel, sloth, masked titi monkeys, marmosets and the largest known population of Brachyteles hypoxanthus – the Woolly Spider Monkey. It’s also a paradise for birders, where you may spot the dusky legged guan, the maroon bellied parakeet, the yellow bellied toucan and the bare-throated bellbird.
So put on your hiking boots and get out into the forest. You’ll see something different every time!
