When you think of outdoors in Brazil, your mind can tend to first imagine the Amazon Rainforest. But in the south of Brazil, you will find mountainous regions of forests with streams and farm land. Bioparque Serra Negra was mostly grass farmland purchased by a local family in the 1950’s with the goal of restoring the land to its natural state.
Upon arrival at the park, we were swept away to a foreign land. The sounds of the birds and other wildlife have returned to the area and were completely different than anything we have ever experienced in North America!
Your imagination runs wild on what every sound or bird call could be. We encountered birds and insects we’ve never imagined before. Butterflies were fluttering along every trail we walked. The park staff said that the spring brings thousands of butterflies to the park of every color and size imaginable. Along the ground, Leaf-cutter Ants carried away leaf fragments to their underground colonies.
Near the end of our tour, we climbed the wooden steps of an observation tower that rose above the canopy, gazing at the treetops for monkeys and other bird species.
Surprisingly, there’s not enough areas like this park in Brazil. There hasn’t been as much of a push for environmental awareness locally. Luckily, there are some biologists and other environmentally aware people, like the Bioparque staff, to start the push for environmental activism. Check them out on Instagram and Facebook for more information!