Rio Preto State Park
| Rio Preto State Park | |
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| Parque Estadual do Rio Preto | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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View of the park
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| Nearest city | São Gonçalo do Rio Preto, Minas Gerais |
| Coordinates | 18°10′30″S 43°20′41″W / 18.174992°S 43.344791°WCoordinates: 18°10′30″S 43°20′41″W / 18.174992°S 43.344791°W |
| Area | 12,184 ha (47.04 sq mi) |
| Designation | State park |
| Created | 1 June 1994 |
| Administrator | IEF: Instituto Estadual de Florestas |
The Rio Preto State Park (Portuguese: Parque Estadual do Rio Preto) is a state park in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It protects a mountainous area of cerrado vegetation that is home to various endemic, rare or endangered species. Trails provide environmental interpretation, and lead to lookouts that give panoramic views, to rivers and waterfalls, and to archaeological sites with rock paintings.
The Rio Preto State Park is in the municipality of São Gonçalo do Rio Preto, Minas Gerais, 70 kilometres (43 mi) from Diamantina. It has an area of 12,184 hectares (30,110 acres). It is 355 kilometres (221 mi) from Belo Horizonte, the state capital. A section of a 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) colonial-era Estrada Real (Royal Road) passed through the park, and traces still remain. This was a route used by gold and diamond prospectors.
The park covers part of the Espinhaço Mountains. It has a rugged relief with quartz rocks that form beautiful cliffs. The park holds several springs, notably that of the Rio Preto, one of the main tributaries of the Araçuaí River, which in turn is a tributary of the Jequitinhonha River. The abundant watercourses form waterfalls, natural pools, rapids, sinkholes, canyons and fluvial beaches with white sands.
The Rio Preto was declared a "permanently protected river" in 1991 in response to demand from the local community. The Rio Preto State Park was created by decree 35.611 of 1 June 1994, with an area of 10,755 hectares (26,580 acres). It was opened to visitors in 2002. Decree 44.175 of 20 December 2005 enlarged the area of the park. The park became part of the Espinhaço Mosaic of conservation units, created in 2010.
In April 2013, the Public Ministry and Justice department of Minas Gerais charged that the State Forestry Institute had been failing to comply with environmental legislation. There were serious problems such as lack of a management plan, physical structures and personnel, and land tenure issues with the ecological stations of Mata do Acauã and Mata dos Ausentes and the state parks of Biribiri, Alto Cariri, Rio Preto and Serra Negra.
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