Serra do Conduru State Park, State nature reserve near Ilhéus, Brazil
Serra do Conduru State Park is a nature reserve spanning approximately 9,275 hectares of Atlantic Forest across three municipalities. Dense rainforest dominates the landscape, with trees reaching 40 meters in height.
The campaign to create the park began in 1993 after studies at a Serra Grande farm revealed rich biodiversity. Conservation International Brazil, the SOS Atlantic Forest Foundation and IESB promoted the project from 1996, and Decree 6.227 formally created the park on 21 February 1997 with 7,000 hectares. Decree 8.702 of 4 November 2003 expanded it to 9,275 hectares.
The park is named after the conduru tree (Brosimum rubescens), whose red wood was highly valued in southern Bahia. The name also refers to the hilly relief, similar to a serra, where the forest grows. Visitors can see these trees in the dense submontane rainforest, which also contains fig trees, palms and palmettos in undisturbed wetlands.
The park has no infrastructure for public use, and by 2011 formal tenure covered only about half its land. Access is via the BA-001 highway between Ilhéus and Itacaré, near the village of Serra Grande. Listed attractions include a circular interpretive trail, two viewpoints (Mirante Pequeno and Mirante da Mata da Torre), Cachoeira da Mata waterfall and the Tijuípe and Água Vermelha rivers.
The park protects the headwaters of 30 rivers and streams, and about 72% of its tree species are typical of the Amazon Forest rather than the Atlantic Forest. Its buffer zone covers 25,057 hectares around the 9,275-hectare park.
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