Ilha do Cardoso State Park, State park in Cananéia, Brazil

Ilha do Cardoso State Park covers about 90% of Ilha do Cardoso, an island in the municipality of Cananéia at the southern tip of São Paulo state. The island is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Bay of Trapandé to the north, the Ararapira Channel to the west and the Ararapira Bar to the south. Its Atlantic coast has beaches, dunes and rocky shores, while the western side holds mangroves and the coastal plain is mostly covered by restinga.

The reserve was established in 1962 to protect the Atlantic rainforest and the fishing communities living there. For more than six decades, the island has been legally protected as a place where nature and traditional settlement coexist.

Six caiçara communities live inside the park, about 465 residents in all, mainly fishing families who also earn income from tourism. Their culture is strongly influenced by indigenous traditions, and they have developed detailed knowledge of the local environment. In July 2023 the caiçara community took over park operations in partnership with the state authorities.

Access is by boat from the town of Cananéia, and accommodation is available in Vila do Marujá where walking trails connect to waterfalls, natural pools, and viewpoints. The paths are easy to navigate and move through different landscape types.

The island holds archaeological sites with ruins of colonial-period occupation and a landmark of the Treaty of Tordesillas, the 1494 line dividing Portuguese and Spanish claims. The park also hosts CEPARNIC, a research center transferred in the 1990s to the state environment secretariat.