Itirapina Ecological Station

The Itirapina Ecological Station (Portuguese: Estação Ecológica de Itirapina) is an Ecological station in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

Itirapina Ecological Station
Estação Ecológica de Itirapina
IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)
Nearest city	Itirapina, São Paulo
Coordinates	22°12′59″S 47°53′19″W
Area	2,300 ha (8.9 sq mi)
Designation	Ecological station
Created	7 June 1984
Administrator	Instituto Florestal SP

Location

The Itirapina Ecological Station is divided between the municipalities of Brotas (44.15%) and Itirapina (55.85%) in the state of São Paulo. It has an area of 2,300 hectares (5,700 acres).^[1] The area contains a sample of remnants of cerrado vegetation, and also has an important fluvial network that supplies the Lobo Dam.^[2]

The Itirapina Ecological State and the Itirapina Experimental Station are managed as a whole, and together have an area of 5,512 hectares (13,620 acres). 94% of the ecological station has cerrado vegetation, mostly rocky, clean or wet meadows, as well as cerrado strict sense, riverside forests and cerradão. The experimental station covers 3,212 hectares (7,940 acres) including a large area reforested with fast-growing pine and eucalyptus. It is used for forestry research.^[3] The buffer zone for the two units covers 19,602 hectares (48,440 acres).^[4]

History

The Itirapina Ecological Station was created by Governor André Franco Montoro by state decree 22.335 of 7 June 1984. The ecological station was on publicly owned land. It had the objective of ensuring the integrity of the ecosystems and river complex it contains, protecting its fauna and flora, and supporting scientific research and education.^[5]