Serra da Tiririca State Park
| Serra da Tiririca State Park | |
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| Parque Estadual da Serra da Tiririca | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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View from the top of the Pedra do Elefante
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| Nearest city | Niterói, Rio de Janeiro |
| Coordinates | 22°58′24″S 43°01′41″W / 22.973245°S 43.027923°WCoordinates: 22°58′24″S 43°01′41″W / 22.973245°S 43.027923°W |
| Area | 3,493 ha (13.49 sq mi) |
| Designation | State park |
| Created | 29 November 1991 |
The Serra da Tiririca State Park (Portuguese: Parque Estadual da Serra da Tiririca) is a state park in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It protects an area of rugged terrain on the Atlantic coast with Atlantic Forest vegetation.
The Serra da Tiririca State Park is divided between the municipalities of Niterói and Maricá, Rio de Janeiro. It has an area of 3,493 hectares (8,630 acres). This includes a marine park that extends 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) offshore between Pontas do Alto Mourão and Costão de Itacoatiara. It has rugged terrain with slopes above 50° in some places. The average altitude is around 286 metres (938 ft). The park includes eight hills, namely Morro do Elefante: 412 metres (1,352 ft), Alto Mourão: 369 metres (1,211 ft), Costão de Itacoatiara: 217 metres (712 ft), Morro do Telégrafo: 357 metres (1,171 ft), Morro do Catumbi: 325 metres (1,066 ft), Morro da Penha: 128 metres (420 ft) and Morro da Serrinha: 277 metres (909 ft).
The Serra da Tiririca region has many archaeological sites, particularly in Itaipu, which has important sambaquis (middens) left by different groups of indigenous people. When European settlers arrived the region was inhabited by Tamoios people. In the mid-16th century the Jesuits erected buildings in Itaipu to catechize the local people.Charles Darwin commented on the biological diversity when he visited in 1832 en route to Cabo Frio.
Creation of the park was due to a campaign by civil society against damage to the environment that began in the early 1980s and included environmental groups, residents' associations and other residents of the region. A Public Civil Action, the first in Brazil, was filed by the Public Prosecutor against an illegal subdivision. The Tiririca Front was active in 1989-90 but lost support due to its overly politicized activity. After this the Ecological Citizenship Movement (MCE) led development of a study to prepare the technical and legal basis for the park, including a draft built that was forwarded to the state legislature through Carlos Minc.
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