📋 Tender Overview
The Peruacu Canyon, located in the Caves of Peruacu National Park, in Minas Gerais, was recognized as a natural heritage of humanity by the United Nations for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) this Sunday (13/7). The decision was announced in Paris, France, during the 47th meeting of the World Heritage Committee.
The title was granted to the peruacu canyon based on the criteria that recognize its exceptional natural beauty and its unique geomorphological and geomorphological relevance. Its inclusion in the World Heritage list reinforces the Federal Governments commitment to the conservation of global geological heritage, as well as boosting sustainable tourism and promoting the historical and scientific value of the site.
The Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, stressed that the result reflects the joint efforts of the federal government, parliamentarians, academy, civil society and local community, especially the Xakriaba indigenous people who, with their ways of life and traditional knowledge, historically protects the region.
The inclusion of the Peruacu canyon in the UNESCO World Heritage list represents an achievement of the conservation and appreciation of our speleological heritage. The site brings together ecosystems of different biomes, a set of caves of enormous geological importance, rich biodiversity and prehistoric rock art. It is a place that should be preserved for present and future generations, the minister said.
The executive secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), Joao Paulo Capobianco, accompanied the announcement in Paris. He stressed that the recognition of the Peruacu canyon reinforces the commitment of the Brazilian government to cooperation between countries for the protection of the environment, as well as crowning decades of dedication of the Brazilian environmental and speleological community, whose efforts ensured the preservation of the site.
The application process was carried out by MMA, Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), the units management body, and Foreign Ministry (MRE).
With 38,003 hectares of extension, the Perucu Canyon brings together ecosystems of the Atlantic Forest, Cerrado and Caatinga. It also houses a complex of caves, millennial archaeological sites and rich biodiversity.
One of the highlights is the Janelao Cave, whose galleries exceed 100 meters high and 60 wide. On site is also the dancers leg, the worlds largest stalactitis, approximately 28 meters long.
The canyon also covers 114 archaeological sites that record human occupations about 12,000 years, evidenced by exceptionally preserved rock paintings. The region has more than a thousand species of flora and 950 of identified fauna.
The National Secretary of Biodiversity, Forests and Animal Rights of MMA, Rita Mesquita, points out that Conservation Units, such as Perucu National Park, protects important areas not only for biodiversity, but for the population to know their history and the processes that led to the formation of their countrys natural attributes. Recognition as a heritage of humanity should be a source of pride for every Brazilian. We hope this will arouse the curiosity of people to know these wonders of our nation, attracting attention to the cultures that live in these places, he said.
This registration also represents a concrete opportunity to promote sustainable tourism and boost development in a region historically marked by socioeconomic vulnerabilities, said the technical coordinator of the candidacy and also General Coordinator of Management of the National Nature Conservation Units (SNUC) of MMA, Bernardo Issa.
The title of World Heritage Site is given to places whose natural or cultural relevance, according to UNESCO, surpasses national borders and is important for all humanity.
Inclusion places Brazil as one of the main holders of natural sites of global relevance. In addition to Peruacu, eight other Brazilian natural sites have already received the UNESCO title. In 2024, the committee included the list.
With the peruacu canyon, Brazil has 25 World Heritage titles: 15 cultural, nine natural and one mixed.
