Serra das Lontras National Park


The Serra das Lontras National Park (Parque Nacional da Serra das Lontras is a national park in the state of Bahia, Brazil.
It protects a rugged area of Atlantic Rainforest with a wide range of bird species, including several that are threatened with extinction.

Location

The Serra das Lontras National Park is in the municipalities of Arataca and Una, Bahia to the south of Itabuna.
BR-251 runs along the western boundary.
It has an area of.
The park covers a Precambrian coastal range of high ridges that form a continuous mass over high with peaks over.
The range forms the watershed between the Una River and the Javi, Pratinha and Santo Antônio streams.
It protects the headwaters of at least eight of the Una's tributaries.
Water is supplied to various communities in the São José da Vitória municipality.

Administration

The park was created by federal decree on 11 June 2010 and is administered by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation.
It became part of the Central Atlantic Forest Ecological Corridor, created in 2002.
The park is classed as IUCN protected area category II.
The objective is to preserve the biological wealth and to support scientific research, environmental education and interpretation, outdoors recreation and ecotourism.

Environment

Average annual rainfall is and average temperature is.
The park is in the Atlantic Forest biome.
The forest has been selectively logged, but is generally in good condition.
Vegetation ranges from lowlands rainforest with a high canopy reaching in the lower parts to montane forests higher up.
The forest becomes stunted above.
The higher forest is rich in epiphytes and has great diversity of orchids.
Protected flora include Aechmea gustavoi, Baptistonia truncata, Begonia itaguassuensis, Brachionidium restrepioides, Canistrum camacaense, Canistrum montanum, Davilla macrocarpa, Euterpe edulis, Heteropterys bullata, Hiraea bullata, Hirtella santosii, Houlletia brocklehurstiana, Huberia carvalhoi, Inga grazielae, Licania belemii, Octomeria geraensis, Paralychnophora bicolor, Portea nana, Solanum bahianum, Solanum restingae and Trichopilia santoslimae.
Protected mammals include maned sloth, coastal black-handed titi, golden-bellied capuchin, golden-headed lion tamarin, bristle-spined rat and cougar.
330 species of bird have recorded, 16 of them globally threatened with extinction and 13 near threatened.
Protected birds in the park include pink-legged graveteiro, white-necked hawk, harpy eagle, red-browed amazon, brown-backed parrotlet, golden-tailed parrotlet, black-headed berryeater, rufous-brown solitaire, buff-throated purpletuft, Salvadori's antwren, band-tailed antwren, Bahia tyrannulet, ochre-marked parakeet, Temminck's seedeater, buffy-fronted seedeater, long-tailed woodnymph, striated softtail and white-winged cotinga.