Parque Nacional da Restinga de Jurubatiba

Parque Nacional da Restinga de Jurubatiba is located on the northern coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, covering parts of the municipalities of Macaé, Carapebus and Quissamã. It has 44 km of beaches, along which there are 18 coastal lagoons of rare beauty and great ecological interest. The park is a refuge for many plant and animal species of the restingas (coastal sandy-plain vegetation) that are at risk of extinction elsewhere in the country. New species have even been discovered within the park. In addition, Parque Nacional da Restinga de Jurubatiba is an important stopover for migratory shorebirds, which find food in its lagoons to replenish their energy reserves and continue their migration. The area where Parque Nacional da Restinga de Jurubatiba now lies was once inhabited by the Goytacazes Indigenous people, who had a warrior tradition. The park also protects the well-preserved section of the Canal Campos – Macaé, which is 104 km long and took almost 30 years to build with enslaved labor. Jurubatiba is one of three Brazilian national parks where you can see environmental preservation coexisting with the sustainable development of a community of traditional fishers who were already fishing in the area even before the park was created. Through a conduct adjustment agreement (Termo de Ajustamento de Conduta) with the Ministério Público Federal (Federal Prosecutor's Office) and the Instituto Chico Mendes, twenty-five fishing families obtained permission to keep fishing in the Lagoa de Carapebus, one of the richest in fish in the whole region.