Ilha do Mel Ecological Station
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| Ilha do Mel Ecological Station | |
|---|---|
| Estação Ecológica da Ilha do Mel | |
 Ilha do Mel from the Superagui National Park to the north | |
  | |
| Coordinates | 25°30′39″S 48°20′36″W / 25.5108°S 48.3432°W |
| Area | 2,241 hectares (5,540 acres) |
| Designation | Ecological station |
| Created | 1982 |
| Administrator | Instituto Ambiental do Paraná |
The Ilha do Mel Ecological Station (Portuguese: Estação Ecológica da Ilha do Mel) is an ecological station in the state of Paraná, Brazil.
The Ilha do Mel Ecological Station covers the northern part of the island of Ilha do Mel in the municipality of Paranaguá, Paraná.[1] It has an area of 2,241 hectares (5,540 acres).[2] The ecological station is the more strictly protected of two conservation units on the island, the other being the Ilha do Mel State Park. Public visits to the park are allowed for education, recreation and research. The ecological station is used primarily for scientific research, with public visits allowed only for environmental education with express permission of the administrator. The protected areas cover about 95% of the island's land area, including mangroves, restingas and forests.[3]
Outside the conservation areas there are beautiful beaches and attractions such as the Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres Fort, the lighthouse and the Enchanted Grotto which have made the island one of the state's main tourist destinations. A management board, with government and local resident representatives, monitors implementation of the zoning rules. In 2004 there were 1,140 residents, of whom 57% were not native but had managed to build unauthorized homes or hotels. About 43% of the buildings do not conform to the plan of use, which defines the lots, lot size, height of buildings and so on.[3]