Araucária Forest: Paraná's Native Umbrella Pines
The Araucária angustifolia — the distinctive umbrella-shaped Paraná pine — is the symbol of Paraná and formerly covered millions of hectares; the remnant forests near Curitiba are now protected treasures
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Araucária Pine Ecology
Araucária—with its distinctive flat umbrella shape and horizontal whorls of branches—once covered 200,000 square kilometers of southern Brazil; today less than 3% remains due to logging
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Pinhão pine nut harvest
Pinhão — the large seed of the Araucária — is harvested in the fall and roasted; it is one of the distinctive flavors of southern Brazilian cuisine and a cultural symbol of the Paraná highlands
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Horto Florestal de Curitiba
Curitiba forest nursery maintains Araucária trees and other native species — the replanting program that plants Araucárias in city parks is part of the city's commitment to its native ecology
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Campos Gerais Landscape
The highland plateau (planalto) of Paraná around Curitiba – with its campo grasslands, Araucária forests and dramatic sandstone canyons – is one of southern Brazil's most distinctive landscapes
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Guaratuba and Iguaçu forests
The forests of the state of Paraná – from the Atlantic Forest Coast to the Iguaçu Canyon – preserve biodiversity in fragments; the drive from Curitiba to the coast passes through the dramatic Serra do Mar forest
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Vila Velha Rock Formations
The extraordinary sandstone rock formations of Vila Velha State Park - mushroom-shaped pillars and a lagoon of emerald waters - are two hours from Curitiba and one of Paraná's great natural wonders