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Paraty and Ilha Grande – Culture and Biodiversity

Paraty and Ilha Grande – Culture and Biodiversity

This natural-cultural landscape encompasses the historic centre of Paraty, one of Brazil's best-preserved coastal towns, four Brazilian Atlantic Forest protected natural areas, one of the world’s five key biodiversity hotspots, as well as part of the Serra da Bocaina mountain range and the Atlantic coastal region. Serra do Mar and Ilha Grande Bay is home to an impressive diversity of animal species, some of which are threatened, such as the jaguar (Panthera onca), the white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) and several primate species, including the Southern Muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides), which are emblematic of the property. In the late 17th century, Paraty was the end-point of the Caminho do Ouro (Gold Route), along which gold was shipped to Europe. Its port also served as an entry point for tools and African slaves, sent to work in the mines. A defence system was built to protect the wealth of the port and the town. The historic centre of Paraty has retained its 18th century plan and much of its colonial architecture dating from the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Paraty et Ilha Grande – culture et biodiversité

Ce paysage naturel-culturel englobe le centre historique de Paraty, l'une des villes côtières les mieux préservées du Brésil, quatre zones naturelles protégées de la forêt atlantique brésilienne, l'un des cinq points chauds du monde pour la biodiversité, ainsi qu'une partie de la chaîne de montagnes Serra da Bocaina et la région côtière atlantique. Serra do Mar et la baie d'Ilha Grande abritent une diversité impressionnante d'espèces animales, dont certaines sont menacées, telles que le jaguar (Panthera onca), le pécari à lèvres blanches (Tayassu pecari) et plusieurs espèces de primates, dont l’atèle arachnoïde (Brachyteles arachnoides), emblématiques du bien. À la fin du XVIIe siècle, Paraty était le point final du Caminho do Ouro (Route de l'Or), le long duquel l'or était expédié vers l'Europe. Son port servait également de point d'entrée pour les outils et les esclaves africains, envoyés pour travailler dans les mines. Un système de défense a été construit pour protéger la richesse du port et de la ville. Le centre historique de Paraty a conservé son plan du XVIIIe siècle et une grande partie de son architecture coloniale datant du XVIIIe et du début du XIXe siècle.

Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

مدينة باراتي وجزيرة إلها غراندي - المعالم الثقافية والتنوع البيولوجي
يقع هذا المنظر الثقافي بين جبال سيرا دا بوكاينا والمحيط الأطلسي، ويضم المركز التاريخي لمدينة باراتي، التي تعدّ واحدة من أكثر المدن الساحلية التي حوفظ عليها في البرازيل. ويضم الموقع إلى جانب المركز التاريخي أربع مناطق طبيعية في غابات البرازيل الأطلسية، التي تعدّ واحدة من أكبر خمس مناطق "ساخنة" للتنوع البيولوجي على مستوى العالم. وتحتوي باراتي على تنوع رائع من الأنواع المهدّد بعضها بالانقراض، مثل حيوان اليغور (النمر الأمريكي)، وحيوان البيكاري ذو الشفاه البيضاء، وبعض الفصائل الرئيسية للقرود، بما في ذلك سعدان الموريكي المنتشر في الموقع. وكانت باراتي، في نهاية القرن السابع عشر، محطة القادمين عبر طريق الذهب الذي كان يستخدم لشحن المعادن إلى أوروبا. وكان ميناؤها بمثابة مدخل لتوصيل الأدوات والعبيد الأفارقة للعمل في المناجم. وقد جرى إنشاء نظام دفاعي لحماية الثروات في الميناء والمدينة. ولا يزال المركز التاريخي لمدينة باراتي يحتفظ بمخططها الحضري كما كان في القرن الثامن عشر إلى جانب العديد من عناصر الهندسة المعمارية الاستعمارية التي تعود إلى القرن الثامن عشر وأوائل القرن التاسع عشر.

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

帕拉蒂和格兰德岛-文化与生物多样性
该文化景观位于博凯纳山脉和大西洋之间,包括帕拉蒂历史市镇(巴西保存最完好的海滨城镇)、巴西大西洋沿岸森林(全球5大生物多样性热点之一)内的4个自然保护区。帕拉蒂生物种类丰富,其中不乏濒危物种,如美洲豹、白唇西猯及数种灵长类动物,包括当地标志性生物褐绒毛蛛猴。在17世纪末,帕拉蒂是向欧洲运送矿产的“黄金之路”的起点。这里的港口还是矿井工具和黑奴矿工的入境点。为了保护港口和城市财富,帕拉蒂设有一套防御体系,其历史中心保存着18世纪帕拉蒂的城市布局及18世纪至19世纪初大部分的殖民建筑。

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Парати и Илья-Гранди – культура и биоразнообразие
Расположенный между горным хребтом Серра-да-Бокайна и Атлантическим океаном, этот культурный ландшафт включает исторический центр Парати, одного из наиболее хорошо сохранившихся прибрежных городов Бразилии, а также четыре охраняемые природные зоны бразильского атлантического леса, одной из пяти ключевых «горячих точек» биоразнообразия в мире. Парати является местом обитания впечатляющего разнообразия видов, некоторые из которых находятся под угрозой исчезновения, в частности, ягуар (Panthera onca) и белобородый пекарь (Tayassu pecari), а также несколько видов приматов, включая паукообразную обезьяну (Brachyteles arachnoides) – символа этого объекта. В конце XVII века Парати служил конечным пунктом Caminho do Ouro (Золотого пути), по которому золото перевозили в Европу. Городской порт являлся важным центром перевозки грузов и рабов из Африки для работы в шахтах. В городе также была создана система обороны с целью защиты богатства порта и города. Исторический центр Парати сохранил городской план XVIII века и большую часть своей колониальной архитектуры XVIII – начала XIX веков.

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Paraty e Ilha Grande – Cultura y biodiversidad
Situado entre el Océano Atlántico y los montes de la Sierra de la Bocaina, este sitio consta de los siguientes elementos: cuatro zonas naturales protegidas de bosque atlántico brasileño, pertenecientes a una de las cinco regiones de más alta biodiversidad del planeta; y el centro histórico de la ciudad costera de Paraty, que es uno de los mejor conservados de todo el país. El sitio alberga una variedad impresionante de especies animales entre las que figuran algunas en peligro de extinción, como el jaguar (Panthera onca), el pecarí de labios blancos (Tayassu pecari) y el muriquí o mono araña lanudo (Brachyteles arachnoides), un primate endémico que es emblemático de la gran biodiversidad de la región. En lo que respecta a la ciudad, cabe señalar que a finales del siglo XVII Paraty era el punto de destino de la ruta del oro (“Caminho do Ouro”) donde se embarcaba para Europa el metal extraído en el interior del país. A su puerto también llegaban las importaciones de utillaje industrial y de mano de obra esclava africana destinada a trabajar forzosamente en las minas de oro. Un complejo de fortificaciones protegía las riquezas del puerto y la ciudad, cuyo centro histórico aún conserva el mismo ordenamiento urbano que en el siglo XVIII, así como una gran parte de los edificios de estilo colonial construidos a finales del siglo XVIII y principios del XIX.

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Outstanding Universal Value

Brief synthesis

The property, Paraty and Ilha Grande - Culture and Biodiversity, is a serial property comprising six component parts, including four protected areas: Serra da Bocaina National Park, Environmental Protected Area of Cairuçu, Ilha Grande State Park, and Praia do Sul Biological Reserve, plus the Paraty Historic Centre and the Morro da Vila Velha.  The mixed serial property comprises 150,392 ha, surrounded by a single buffer zone, including many small islands, beaches, and coves. It is located in the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo and nestled in the majestic Serra do Mar, known locally as Serra da Bocaina, which dominates the landscape of the region due to its rugged relief reaching over 2,000 m altitude. The property and its buffer zone present a natural amphitheatre of Atlantic Rainforest dropping down to Ilha Grande Bay. Two of the protected areas, Praia do Sul Biological Reserve and Ilha Grande State Park which cover most of the largest island within the Bay, also contain cultural assets that testify to the occupation of the area by indigenous inhabitants and, from the 16th century onwards, by European settlers and enslaved Africans. The main cultural components are the historic centre of Paraty, one of the best preserved colonial coastal towns in Brazil; Morro da Vila Velha, where the archaeological remains of Defensor Perpétuo Fort are found; a portion of the Caminho do Ouro (Gold Route) located within the boundaries of Serra da Bocaina National Park; and several archaeological sites that testify to the long occupation of the region by indigenous populations. The property also houses traditional Quilombola, Guarani and Caiçara communities that maintain the ways of life and the production systems of their ancestors, as well as most of their relationships, rites and festivals, whose tangible and intangible elements contribute to the cultural system.

The forest formations exhibit four distinct classifications according to altitude. This property represents the greatest concentration of endemism for vascular plants within the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot, and also features 57% of the total of endemic bird species of this hotspot. The property’s systems of fluvial sedimentation support stands of mangrove and restinga which are found on the coastal plains and function as important ecosystems for the transition between terrestrial and marine environments. The forests, mangroves, restinga, reefs and islands of the property shelter hundreds of mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds, many endemic to the Atlantic Rainforest and threatened with extinction. 

The geographical conditions of the area, a coastal plain abundant in food and natural shelter surrounded by the sea and mountains covered by forests, –have supported its occupation by indigenous populations since prehistoric times, first by hunter-gatherers, followed by the Guaranis.

Europeans arrived in the region in the 16th century and chose this location because it was a safe refuge for ships and was one of the main points of entry into the interior of the continent. The discovery of gold at Minas Gerais resulted in the consolidation of the Gold Route to link this mining region with the town of Paraty, where the gold, together with agricultural products, were shipped to Europe. Paraty was also the entrance point for enslaved Africans. A defence system was designed and constructed to protect the rich port and town. The historic centre of Paraty has preserved its 18th century urban layout and much of the colonial architecture of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The relationship between the town and its spectacular natural setting has also been preserved.

Criterion (v): The Cultural Landscape of Paraty is an outstanding testimony of human interaction with the environment. Since prehistoric times, human groups have lived in interaction with the landscape and have exploited the natural land and water resources that characterize the region and frame the built territory, producing settlements and giving cultural significance to natural features, evolving but keeping the most important natural elements. The Tupi-Guarani language communities have a close relationship with the Atlantic Forest which implies a high level of management and deep knowledge and mastery of the different ecosystems and Forest formations. The traditional communities of Paraty based their cultures on activities related to the use of the land and the sea; traditional fishing activity is still intense, especially in the Caiçara communities and around the historic centre of Paraty. The Quilombolas groups, the descendants of the Africans enslaved during the Colonial period, have created their own cultural patterns in the context of the Atlantic Forest’s landscape. Global climate change and the recurrence and severity of natural disasters make Paraty cultural landscape an area of high vulnerability.

Criterion (x): The property Paraty and Ilha Grande – Culture and Biodiversity is located in the Atlantic Forest hotspot, one of five leading global biodiversity hotspots and the property is known for its high richness in endemic species.  The remarkably high biodiversity of this area is due to a unique diversity of landscapes with a set of high mountains and strong altitudinal variation, and ecosystems that occupy areas from sea level to about 2,000 metres in elevation. The property is noteworthy for the occurrence of at least 11 Key Biodiversity Areas. This section of the Atlantic Forest represents the greatest richness of endemism for vascular plants within the hotspot with some 36 species of rare plants, 29 of which are endemic to the site.  Among the rare plants of the site are species of herbaceous plants, epiphytes, shrubs and trees, which occupy specific habitats of forest environments and sandbanks, as well as along water courses.  With records of 450 species, birds represent 60% of the endangered species of vertebrate fauna identified for the property.  Paraty and Ilha Grande -  Culture and Biodiversity is home to 45% of all the Atlantic Forest’s avifauna including 57% of the total of endemic bird species for the hotspot. The property boasts impressive species richness across almost all taxa: 125 species of anurans (frogs and toads) have been recorded representing 34% of the species known from the Atlantic Forest and some 27 species of reptile are known from the site.  150 species of mammals are found within the property including several globally significant primates such as the Southern Muriqui which is considered a flagship species for the site.  The larger components of the property are also important for large range species such as jaguar, cougar, white-lipped peccary and primate species. The property also supports a similarly high diversity of marine biodiversity and endemism.

Integrity

With regard to the cultural elements of the mixed serial property, the historic centre of Paraty and the Morro da Vila Velha constitute the main components; their boundaries include the necessary attributes to convey their contribution to the Outstanding Universal Value of the property and they are adequately protected. Other cultural elements, such as the archaeological site of Paraty-Mirim, the portion of the Gold Route located in Serra da Bocaina National Park, archaeological sites testifying to different stages of occupation of the region, and traditional indigenous, Caiçara and Quilombola communities, are included within the boundaries of the four primarily natural components. The cultural attributes necessary to convey the Outstanding Universal Value of the property are included and are adequately protected.

With regard to the natural elements, the property coincides with areas of high forest cover within the formerly extensive Atlantic Forest, with most of the site included in protected areas of the National System of Nature Protected Areas (SNUC), contributing to the maintenance of the environmental integrity of the landscape. The integrity of this landscape is evidenced by the presence of species that require large, intact swaths of habitat. Further study on the estimated population of jaguars within the inscribed area, as well as information on their movements would provide confirmation of the ecological integrity of the property.  From the marine perspective, as the bay itself is included within the buffer zone, it is critical that the strategies and recommendations made under the “Integrated Management Project of the Ecosystem of the Ilha Grande Bay” are effectively implemented to adequately protect the ecosystem health of Ilha Grande Bay itself.

The combined component areas and their overall size, including the buffer zone are adequate to ensure integrity, but the connectivity between them must be preserved to maintain ecological functionality across the overall size. Any loss of connectivity and / or reduction of functional size of any part of the property would be damaging to its integrity.  The management of the buffer zone is hence critical to the overall health of the property’s values.

In the southern portion of the site, in the overlap between the Serra do Mar State Park in Sao Paulo State and the Bocaina National Park, is the only location on the Atlantic Coast where the full altitudinal gradient between the coastline and the top of the mountain range is totally included within protected areas. Ilha Grande Bay demonstrates one of the highest levels of connectivity between the forest ecosystems of the Atlantic Forest and coastal shore ecosystems, contributing to the representation and preservation of its natural attributes.

Authenticity

The historic centre of Paraty and the Morro da Vila Velha preserve a high degree of authenticity. The historic centre of Paraty has kept its original layout and exhibits a high degree of authenticity of form, design, materials and substance. Although the town has experienced expansion over time, the authenticity of its setting can also be considered acceptable, especially in relation to the sea and the surrounding mountainous landscape. The authenticity of functions is also acceptable since it continues to be the ‘living centre’ for local communities, although some buildings currently have tourism-related uses. Other cultural assets, such as the Defensor Perpétuo Fort and the portion of the Gold Route, also have a high degree of authenticity of form, design, materials, substance and setting; the current use of the fort as a museum is logical, since its original function has long since disappeared. The authenticity of the traditional communities’ settlements is quite remarkable, where indigenous, Caiçara and Quilombola groups maintain their traditional practices and ways of life. Tourism could have an impact that would require appropriate control through protection and management mechanisms.

Management and protection requirements

The cultural components of the mixed property are protected by a set of legal instruments from the three levels of government. The first legal protection for the historic centre of Paraty was State Law-Decree 1.450 (1945), which designated Paraty a Historic Monument of the State of Rio de Janeiro. The decree placed the traditional urban and architectonic ensemble of Paraty under the supervision of the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN). Since then, a large number of legal instruments has strengthened the protection of the historic centre as well as other cultural elements within the serial property. The state of conservation of the historic centre of Paraty and other cultural elements is good, and active conservation measures are carried out by or under the supervision of IPHAN.

Concerning natural values, all of the components of the serial property are protected by municipal, state and federal legislation. Serra da Bocaina National Park is managed by ICMBio, the federal agency of the Brazilian Ministry of Environment for protected areas. The Ilha Grande State Park, Praia do Sul Biological Reserve and Environmental Protected Area of Cairuçu are managed by the Rio de Janeiro Sate Environment Institute (INEA). ICMBio, INEA and the Ministry of Environment, as well as IPHAN and the Ministry of Citizenship provide adequate long term institutional protection and management to the property’s components and buffer zone. All protected areas have their own annual budget to ensure the implementation of research, training, protection and conservation actions.

Each of the components of the serial property has its own management plan; the primary organization responsible for the conservation and management of the cultural components of the series is IPHAN, which has a local office in Paraty. An overall management plan, in process of elaboration, has adequate objectives, mission, vision and management structure proposed; different steps to complete the plan have been undertaken, together with the ‘Management Plan and Responsibilities Matrix’.

Tourism and surrounding development pressures stem from the property’s location between the two major cities of São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro. Although public use is included amongst the envisaged sectorial plans, a specific tourism strategy oriented to conserving the attributes that convey the Outstanding Universal Value, authenticity and integrity of the property, while ensuring its sustainability, and taking into account the areas of ecological and cultural sensitivities, should be elaborated and implemented. Risk preparedness management in particular should also be incorporated.

The context of the property is important to understand and manage given the presence of nuclear energy facilities in one portion of the buffer zone, as well as existing impacts from the oil industry. The threats of thermal pollution, chemical pollution, impacts from vessel traffic, and more are very serious and could compromise much of the aesthetic and ecological value of the coastal sections of the proposed site. Effective planning and response mechanisms are therefore critical to have in place.

Although traditional communities have participated in the elaboration of the nomination and the management processes, their role must be strengthened in order to ensure that inscription of the property on the World Heritage List will be a source of sustainable development within the framework of preserving their traditional ways of life and their relationships with the natural environment.

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