Nascentes do Rio Parnaíba National Park, Protected natural area in Maranhão, Piauí, Tocantins, and Bahia, Brazil.
Nascentes do Rio Parnaíba National Park is a protected area in the cerrado savanna of Brazil, covering parts of four states: Maranhão, Piauí, Tocantins, and Bahia. At its core lie the headwaters of the Parnaíba River, surrounded by open grasslands, gallery forests, and rocky outcrops.
The Brazilian government established this park in 2002 to protect the headwaters of the Parnaíba River and the cerrado around them. Its creation came at a time when farming and cattle ranching were putting pressure on this type of savanna across the country.
The park sits in the cerrado, a savanna region that local communities have relied on for generations as a source of water and food. The name itself refers to the headwaters of the Parnaíba River, which feeds life across a large part of northeastern Brazil.
Access to the park requires prior authorization from the park administration, and all visits must be done with a certified local guide. The town of Gilbués, in Piauí state, is the usual starting point for trips into the protected area.
The Parnaíba is one of the few large rivers in Brazil that flows entirely within the country without crossing any international border. Its source inside the park is not a single spring but a network of small streams that gradually join together as they move north.
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