Alto Cariri National Park, Atlantic Forest conservation area in Guaratinga, Brazil.
Alto Cariri National Park is a protected forest area in Guaratinga that covers approximately 19,000 hectares of connected woodland. The eastern section features dense montane rainforest, while the western zones transition to drier semi-deciduous forest with more varied plant growth.
The park was established in 2010 as part of a larger initiative to protect the Atlantic forests of Brazil. Its creation marked an effort to connect and preserve forest corridors that had become fragmented over time.
The park's name comes from the Cariri massif, whose eastern slopes are covered in montane rainforest. It is the last place in Bahia where the northern muriqui, a spider monkey, still occurs. The park forms a continuous forest block with the Alto Cariri State Park and the Mata dos Muriquis Wildlife Refuge in Minas Gerais.
The park offers trails that lead through both forest types and range from easy walks to more challenging routes. Trails can be muddy or slippery, especially after rain, so sturdy footwear and careful footing are necessary.
The park records 35 amphibian species, nine of them endemic and four new to science. It also holds the last population of the northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) in Bahia, a spider monkey that is among the park's main conservation targets.
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