Unesco declares two locations in Brazil as world geoparks

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On April 13, Unesco declared two Brazilian sites as world geoparks. They are the Seridó geopark, in Rio Grande do Norte state, and the Caminhos dos Cânions do Sul geopark, between Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul states.

The Araripe geopark was, until now, the only Brazilian geopark among the Unesco geoparks. It is located in the Araripe Basin, between the states of Ceará, Pernambuco, and Piauí.

As the name says, the geoparks are related to the geological heritage of international relevance. According to Unesco, the goal is to explore, develop, and celebrate the relationships between the area’s geological, natural, cultural, and immaterial aspects.

The title of World Geopark lasts for four years. After that, a revalidation process can result in another four years with the title.

If the reevaluation finds that the park no longer meets any criteria, the site will have two years to adapt. If this does not happen, the geopark then loses the title.

Get to know the geoparks in Brazil recognized by Unesco

ARARIPE

The site has geological records from the Lower Cretaceous period, between 90 and 150 million years ago, with paleontological importance highlighted.

This geopark was named in 2015 by Unesco and has an area of 3,441 km².

SERIDÓ

Under the domain of the caatinga, an exclusive biome in Brazil, the geopark has an area of 2,800 km².

There are 120 thousand inhabitants and quilombola communities in the region.

The region has one of the largest reserves of the mineral scheelite in South America and bears witness to the 600 million year evolution of the Earth.

SOUTHERN CANYONS PATHS

In an Atlantic Forest area, the geopark has an area of 2,830.8 km² and is inhabited by 74,120 people.

Among the structures that draw attention in the region are the enormous paleotectas, excavated by extinct animals of the megafauna, such as giant sloths.