The Lençóis Maranhenses Park is competing for the Natural Heritage of Humanity title, granted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The confirmation that the park met the technical requirements and had its candidacy approved was made by the governor of Maranhão, Carlos Brandão (PSB), at the weekend.
A Unesco commission will come to Brazil to make an in-person evaluation of the park, with no date yet.
The governor wrote in social networks that he does not doubt that the evaluators “will leave here delighted with this natural paradise, the pride of all people from Maranhão”.
Lençóis National Park is about 250 kilometers (250 miles) from the capital São Luís and was created more than 40 years ago.
It is the largest dune field in South America, with an area of 155,000 hectares. This is bigger than the city of São Paulo.
It is famous for the crystal-clear lagoons that form among the white dunes during the rainy season.
Currently, the management is done by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio).
According to the Ministry of Environment, the park meets at least three criteria Unesco requires to become a natural world heritage site: natural beauty, significant geological and habitats for biodiversity conservation, and endangered species.
The candidacy dossier for Lençóis Maranhenses was forwarded in 2018, and the possible title will give more global visibility for its conservation.
Brazil already has seven sites declared World Natural Heritage Sites:
- the Iguaçu National Park, in Foz do Iguaçu, on the border between Paraná and Argentina;
- the Atlantic Forest reserves in São Paulo and Paraná;
- the Discovery Coast, in Bahia and Espírito Santo;
- the Protected Areas of the Central Amazon and the Pantanal;
- the Chapada dos Veadeiros and the Emas National Park, in Goiás;
- the Fernando de Noronha archipelago;
- and the Rocas Atoll.
The Lençóis Maranhenses Park may become the eighth on this list.
With information from Estadão