Discovery National Park, Nature reserve in Prado, Brazil.
Discovery National Park is a nature reserve in southern Bahia that protects over 21,000 hectares of Atlantic Forest. The area includes different forest zones at various elevations and provides homes for many rare animal species.
The Brazilian government created the park in 1999 as part of a larger effort to protect Atlantic Forest remnants along the Discovery Coast. This initiative came about because this forest type had already vanished almost entirely.
The name comes from the colonial period when Europeans first arrived on this coast, but the forest has always belonged to indigenous peoples. Local communities today help protect it and share their knowledge about living with the forest.
The park is accessible by road from Prado, and visitors should expect hot and humid weather year-round. Sturdy shoes and rain protection are essential since the forest remains wet throughout the seasons.
The forest is home to large predators like cougars that have become scarce elsewhere. The area also harbors unusual bird species such as the ringed woodpecker and black-headed berryeater that are found nowhere else nearby.
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