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The Jericoacoara National Park is located in the municipalities of Jijoca de Jericoacoara, Cruz and Camocim, on the west coast of the state of Ceará, in Brazil. It has an area of ​​8 850 hectares. The park's perimeter is 49,929.4 meters. It is administered by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio).



Goals



Protect and preserve samples of coastal ecosystems, ensure the preservation of their natural resources and provide controlled opportunities for public use, education and scientific research.



Attractions



Until 1985, Jericoaquara was just a small fishing village, lost among immense dunes and isolated from the rest of the world. When tourism discovered it, Jericoaquara's fame knew no more borders. It has been the subject of several major television programs and publications worldwide. The American newspaper The Washington Post chose it as one of the ten most beautiful beaches on the planet in 19941. Jericoaquara was also the setting of the Brazilian film A Ostra e o Vento, from 1997. There are no access roads in the last fifteen kilometers (the construction of roads within the environmental protection area is prohibited by law), so a vehicle with traction on the roads is required. four wheels to reach the reserve.



There are numerous activities on site: hiking, horse riding, extreme sports, such as windsurfing and sandboarding.



Legal background



The Jericoacoara National Park was created from the partial recategorization of the Jericoaquara Environmental Protection Area, established by Decree 90 379 of 29 October 1984, in the municipalities of Jijoca de Jericoaquara and Cruz, in the state of Ceará.



Cultural and historical aspects



It is wrongly stated that Vicente Yáñez Pinzón would have anchored in the Jericoacoara Inlet in 1499 and that this fact would not have been made official at the time, as a result of the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494).



Climate



The climate of the region is characterized as hot and humid, with rains from summer to autumn, with average temperatures oscillating between 35 and 22 degrees centigrade and with the drought period varying from five to six months. The annual rainfall average is 1,364 mm.



Relief



The coastal environment is extremely vulnerable and consists of different landscapes: saw, sandbank, dunes, lagoons, board, mangrove, halophytic lawns and beaches.



Vegetation



It has a coastal biome. The vegetation is characterized by several phytophysiognomies, such as cerrado, caatinga. Herbaceous vegetation and grasses.

Fauna



The fauna of this region is mainly represented by avifauna, ichthyofauna and cetaceans, however there are reports and evidence of small and medium sized mammals. There are 38 bird families at the site, with several species being rare or threatened with extinction.

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