Rio do Peixe State Park
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| Rio do Peixe State Park | |
|---|---|
| Parque Estadual do Rio do Peixe | |
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| Nearest city | Ouro Verde, São Paulo |
| Coordinates | 21°36′18″S 51°42′18″W / 21.604929°S 51.704992°W |
| Area | 7,720 hectares (19,100 acres) |
| Designation | State park |
| Created | 9 August 2002 |
The Rio do Peixe State Park (Portuguese: Parque Estadual do Rio do Peixe) is a state park in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.
The Rio do Peixe State Park is divided between the municipalities of Dracena, Ouro Verde, Piquerobi and Presidente Venceslau, São Paulo. It has an area of 7,720 hectares (19,100 acres).[1] The park would be part of the proposed Trinational Biodiversity Corridor, which aims to provide forest connections between conservation units in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina in the Upper Paraná ecoregion.[2]
Environment
The park protects the margins of the Rio do Peixe, a left tributary of the Paraná River, in a region near its mouth where it meanders through várzea interspersed with permanent or temporary lagoons. Due to its similarity with the Pantanal, this section of the Rio do Peixe is sometimes called the "São Paulo Pantanal". The park is known for its marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus), the largest deer in South America at up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in length, which is found in marshes with high vegetation from southern Peru and Brazil to Uruguay. The park is rich in bird species, including several threatened with extinction.[3]
Threats include hunting, fishing and bait collection for fishing.[4] In May 2016 about 40 volunteers participated in the 5th annual clean-up of the park and removed about 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) of solid waste, mostly plastic bottles.[5]