Click here to See Iracambi and the Surrounding Serra do Brigadeiro Territory in Google Earth The mountain range The Serra do Brigadeiro takes its present name from Brigadier Bacelar, the military officer who led explorations into the region in the first decades of the 19th Century. The old name, Serra dos Arrepiados means, literally, the mountains of the people whose hair stands on end and refers to the head-dresses of the Puri Indians that stood up in the wind like eagles’ crests. The Serra is located in the north part of the Minas Gerais Zona de Mata (Atlantic Forest zone), 290km from Belo Horizonte.  The principal access routes are from highway BR 116 (Rio-Bahia), that runs past the towns of Muriaé, Miradouro, Fervedouro and Divino; highway BR262 (Belo Horizonte – Vitória) which crosses the BR116 at the north of the town of Realeza; MG 262, which links Belo Horizonte with the interior of the Zona da Mata, as well as a network of local roads, paved and unpaved, which link the mountain towns. The range encompasses the towns of Araponga which is famous in the region for its high quality coffee, Ervália, Rosário da Limeira, Muriaé, Miradouro, Fervedouro, Miradouro, Divino, Sericita and Pedra Bonita. It covers a total area of 2944 km2, which corresponds to 8.4% of the total area of the Zona da Mata. Forming part of the Serra da Mantiqueira, the Serra do Brigadeiro is a landscape dominated by mountains, valleys, peaks and hillsides which produce the many watercourses which supply the headwaters of the rivers Paraíba do Sul and Doce. Highest peaks of the Serra are the Picos do Soares, (1985m), Grama (1899m), and Boné, (1870 m).  The climate is typical of an area affected by altitude.  During much of the years, mist covers the peaks composing a landscape which of one of the most beautiful features of the range. (photo below: www.caratinga.mg.gov.br) THE SERRA DO BRIGADEIRO STATE PARK The Park was created in 1996 with the aim of protecting the rich biodiversity of the Serra. It covers almost 15,000ha of the spine of the Serra. To see more information of the park (in Portuguese), click here In terms of the biological resources of the state of Minas Gerais, the Serra do Brigadeiro is considered one of the areas of extreme importance for the conservation of the Atlantic Rainforest, which is already one of the most threatened biomes in the world. The flora of the Serra, interspersed with mountain meadows and rocky outcrops forms a picturesque scene. A true botanical paradise, the mountain shelters an ecosystem rich in plant species such as bromeliad, orchid, cedrelis, candeia and palms. It is also a refuge for fauna species threatened with extinction, such as the masked titi monkey, the wooly spider monkey, jaguar, ocelot, and various frog species. Many species of birds can also be seen, such as the dusky legged guan, the maroon bellied parrakeet and the bare-throated bellbird. To find out more about the park (in Portuguese), click here. To find out more about Muriqui, the most important inhabitant, click here The Rural Development Territory of the Serra do Brigadeiro. . In 2003 the Secretary of Territorial  Development (SDT) and the Ministry for Agricultural Development of the Federal Government of Brazil (MDA), created the National Program of Sustainable Development of Rural Territories (PRONAT). A number of groups took this opportunity to begin local discussion about options for regional development through innovative public policy. The territory of Serra do Brigadeiro includes the following municipalities: Araponga, Divino, Ervália, Fervedouro, Miradouro, Muriaé, Pedra Bonita, Rosário de Limeira and Sericita. At long last, after a long history of expropriation and exploration, started by Brigadier Bacelar and his companions some 190 years earlier, the management of the Serra has returned finally into the hands of its own inhabitants The territory of Serra do Brigadeiro is a based on historical association and not just a public policy convenience of the Federal Government.  While the path of development has not always been straightforward, the central idea remains as that of focusing the  development around a unit of conservation, a resource which affects all of us, and which has been the subject of heated debate, discussion, consensus and understanding, for more than a decade As well as investing in infrastructure, the creation of a Territorial Plan of Rural Sustainable Development was defined as a priority in the first project submitted to SDT/MDA. This ensured that the plan was included in resource planning and the Centre for Alternative Technology (CTA) of the Zona da Mata was appointed as the managing body. In previous debates discussions were had about the definition of sustainable development for the region, and a focus for the actions of the communities of the State Park suggested. The following strategic priorities for the Plano Territorial were defined: •  Preservation and recuperation of the environment •  Rural tourism •  Diversification of smallholder agriculture •  Smallholder agroindustry and artisan activities •  Culture The Executive Secretary of the territory is located in Araponga, in Praça Manuel Romualdo No 1. Telephone (31) 3894 1247