Águas do Rio

Located between the states of Paraná, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the Serra do Mar Ecological Corridor is the largest and best-preserved segment adjacent to the Atlantic Forest in Southeast Brazil. There is also the stretch between the Tinguá Biological Reserve and the Serra da Bocaina National Park, which presents the most critical rupture of this biome. This is the area where the Instituto Terra de Preservação Ambiental (ITPA) operates, playing a key role in the establishment of the Tinguá-Bocaina Biodiversity Corridor (CBTB). With 195 thousand hectares, the complete area covers nine municipalities in Rio de Janeiro: Vassouras, Miguel Pereira, Paty do Alferes, Barra do Piraí, Piraí, Paracambi, Engenheiro Paulo de Frontin, Mendes and Rio Claro. Today, this is the only home to several species, rich in biodiversity and home to the Guandu River basin, whose waters supply and generate energy for about 10 million people in the metropolitan region of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Although essential for the maintenance of life and environmental services, the area suffers from forest degradation, and its conservation and revitalization are urgent.