Cavernas do Peruaçu Environmental Protection Area
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How it came to be
The Peruacu River crosses northern Minas Gerais from north-west to south-east and joins the Sao Francisco. In the carbonate rock of its basin lie horizontal cave systems with speleothems, collapsed dolines, limestone arches and underground rivers. The area sits where three biomes meet: the Cerrado, the Caatinga and the Atlantic Forest.
Rock art more than 10,000 years old survives in the Gruta do Janelao and other caves. On 26 September 1989 an Environmental Protection Area of 143,866 ha was created over the river basin, and on 21 September 1999 the Cavernas do Peruacu National Park of 56,448 ha followed.
Small farms and indigenous land surround the park, and fire used in farming puts it at risk. In 2025 an area of 38,003 ha was inscribed as the Peruacu River Canyon. More than 2,000 species of plants and animals have been recorded there.
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