APA das Ilhas e Várzeas do Rio Paraná

Área de Proteção Ambiental das Ilhas e Várzeas do Rio Paraná (APAIVRP) was created on September 30, 1997 (Decree of September 30, 1997) to help protect the only dam-free stretch of the Paraná River and to serve as a buffer zone for Parque Nacional de Ilha Grande (PNIG), as well as protecting the surroundings of other protected areas such as Parque Estadual das Várzeas do Rio Ivinhema (PEVRI) and Estação Ecológica do Caiuá (ESEC Caiuá). Known locally as “APA Federal,” it comprises the islands of the Paraná River, inland waters, lagoon and lake areas, várzeas, floodplains, and areas adjacent to these environments, which lie in 25 Brazilian municipalities in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná, and São Paulo.