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Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks (Brazil)

Document type
Decision
Reference number
X.A
Date
Dec 11, 2001
Source
UNEP, InforMEA
Status
Active
Subject
Wild species & ecosystems
Treaty
Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (Nov 23, 1972)
Meeting
25e session du Comité
Website
whc.unesco.org
Abstract

Property: Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks

Id. N°: 1035

State Party: Brazil

Criteria: N (ii) (iv)

The Committee inscribed the Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks on the World Heritage List on the basis of criterion (ii) and (iv):

Criterion (ii): The site has played a key role for millenia in maintaining the biodiversity of the Cerrado Ecoregion. Due it its central location and altidudinal variation, it has acted as a relatively stable species refuge when climate change has caused the Cerrado to move north-south or east-west. This role as a species refuge is ongoing as Earth enters another period of climate change.

Criterion (iv): The site contains samples of all key habitats that characterise the Cerrado ecoregion - one of Earth's oldest tropical ecosystems. It contains over 60% of all floral species and almost 80% of all vertebrate species described for the Cerrado. With the exception of the Giant Otter, all of the Cerrado's endangered large mammals occur in the site. In addition, the site supports many rare small mammals and bird species that do not occur elsewhere in the Cerrado and a number of species new to science have been discovered in the Cerrado Protected Areas.

The site comprises two parts:

Park

Location

Size

Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park

Central Brazil Plateau, NE

State of Goiás

235,970 ha

Emas National Park

Central Brazil Plateau, SW

State of Goiás

131,386 ha