Delta do Parnaíba Environmental Protection Area, Environmental protection area in northeastern Brazil.

The Delta do Parnaíba is a protected environmental area covering roughly 313,800 hectares across three states and containing the deltas of three major rivers. Within it you find mangrove forests, sand dunes, river channels, and more than 70 islands that create a complex natural system.

The area was created by federal decree on 28 August 1996 to protect the deltas of the Parnaíba, Timonha and Ubatuba rivers, their fauna and flora and dune complex. It is classed as IUCN protected area category V and is administered by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation. Its management plan was published in 1998, and a consultative council was created on 10 December 2007.

Traditional communities of fishers, artisans, crab and shellfish gatherers live across the delta. Ilha das Canárias, in Araioses, Maranhão, has more than 2,500 residents; on Ilha Grande dos Paulinos, in Tutóia, people live from fishing, crab catching and weaving carnaúba palm straw.

The most accessible entry point is through Parnaíba airport, which has connections to major Brazilian cities like Fortaleza, Teresina, and the southern regions. Once there, local boat operators can take you through the channels and islands to experience the different habitats up close.

The Parnaíba is the only delta in the Americas that opens directly into the open ocean, and its five main channels are named after bars: Tutoia, do Caju, do Igaraçu, das Canárias and da Melancieira. Its extent is compared with the Nile and Mekong deltas.