Guartelá State Park
| Guartelá State Park | |
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| Parque Estadual do Guartelá | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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Guartelá Canyon in the park
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| Nearest city | Tibagi, Paraná |
| Coordinates | 24°33′43″S 50°15′23″W / 24.562054°S 50.256411°WCoordinates: 24°33′43″S 50°15′23″W / 24.562054°S 50.256411°W |
| Area | 798.97 hectares (1,974.3 acres) |
| Designation | State park |
| Created | 27 March 1992 |
| Administrator | Instituto Ambiental do Paraná |
The Guartelá State Park (Portuguese: Parque Estadual do Guartelá) is a state park in the state of Paraná, Brazil. It protects the Guartelá Canyon and its surroundings, an area of great natural beauty.
The Guartelá State Park is in the municipality of Tibagi, Paraná. It has an area of 798.97 hectares (1,974.3 acres). It includes the Ponte de Pedra waterfall, about 180 metres (590 ft) high, and the Córrego Pedregulho, a stream with natural cascades and "baths". There are rock paintings created by prehistoric residents, which can only be visited accompanied by a local guide. The rock paintings are about 7,000 years old. There are also traces of Jesuits and cattle drovers from the colonial era.
The Guartelá State Park was created by decree 1,229 of 27 March 1992 to protect an area of rich natural and archaeological heritage in the region of the Iapó River canyon. The park was created by Governor Roberto Requião. The governor who succeeded him reduced its size by 90%. It was implemented in 1997. It is managed by the Government of the State of Paraná with the objective of preserving the ecosystems typical of the region, the areas of exceptional scenic beauty, including canyons, springs, waterfalls and native flora and fauna, caves and archaeological and prehistoric sites, including rock paintings, and of regulating tourism in the areas. It is administered by the Environmental Institute of Paraná (IAP). As of 2015 the park was receiving about 1,700 visitors per month, more than twice as many as ten years earlier.
The Guartelá Canyon is considered the 6th largest canyon in the world, and the only one with native vegetation. The French naturalist Augustin Saint-Hilaire (1779–1853) calledit the "terrestrial paradise of Brazil". Vegetation includes meadows, remnants of cerrado, araucaria forest, seasonal semi-deciduous forest and dense rainforest of the Atlantic Forest biome. Fauna include the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), howler monkeys, maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), tayra (Eira barbara), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), margay (Leopardus wiedii), neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis), crab-eating raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus), cougar (Puma concolor), pacas and common agoutis. The park is also home to deer and capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris). Birds include king vulture (Sarcoramphus papa), mantled hawk (Pseudastur polionotus), blue-fronted amazon (Amazona aestiva) and vinaceous-breasted amazon (Amazona vinacea).
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