Chapada dos Guimarães National Park

The terrain of Chapada dos Guimarães National Park used to be under a large sea. When the waters receded, a seventy-eight mile long tableland of sandstone was left, to be carved by the wind and rain to its current shape. My fellow traveler friend James and I, accompanied by our guide “Guerreiro” ( a nickname meaning “Warrior”) explored the park for two days. On the first day, we were on the “sea floor,” which is traversed by the Rio Claro, a lovely meandering stream during this dry season.

On the second day, we were on top of the “chapada,” the tableland, where we received a history of the area, an explanation of some of the plants of the “cerrado,” and panoramas of the region. Waves of prospectors for gold came from São Paulo via the rivers; miners for diamonds came later via a narrow path dug out on the cliffs of the chapada. Today, the prospectors have been replaced by the ever-advancing cattle ranchers. In the state of Mato Grosso, they are allowed to “desmatar,” defoliate, the cerrado up to forty percent of the land that they purchase from the government. Here in Brazil, this is called “conservation.” I am glad to be here now, in 2018, before the “conservation” is complete.

There are 11,627 species of native plants that have already been catalogued in the cerrado, along with a tremendous diversity of habitats which host 199 species of mammals, 837 bird species, 1200 species of fish, 180 species of reptiles, and 150 species of amphibians. As always for me, the destruction of such richness—no matter where in the world it occurs—causes enormous sadness and the sense of unstoppable tragedy. Enough said.Read more