Sol & Luz of Catingueiro
A NHPR for nature production, in the heart of the Cerrado.
The Natural Heritage Private Reserve (NHPR) is located in the Chapada dos Veadeiros region, at the municipality of Cavalcante - GO. Contiguous to the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park (PNCV), the Reserve helps to protect one of the largest blocks of remnant Cerrado in the country.
Officially created on March 14, 2022, the Sol e Luz Private Reserve has 50 hectares covered by dense Cerrado, including the phytophysiognomies of wooded savanna, semideciduous seasonal forest, and gallery forest. The NHPR is cut by the Montes Claros River, a crystal-clear river that flows from the Tocantins Basin.
The territory is home to endangered species of Cerrado fauna and flora, such as the giant anteater, the maned wolf, the tapir, and the giant armadillo. The Montes Claros River is also home to the Brazilian Merganser, one of the most endangered birds in the world, considered an ambassador of Brazilian waters. The NHPR has about 100 species of birds (based on the results of the inventory conducted in the Catingueiro NHPR in 2021), with emphasis on the group of Thraupidae (saíras, saís) and Tyrannidae (suriris, bem-te-vi) with a preference for forested environments.
The dense vegetation of the NHPR stores large volumes of carbon dioxide that help mitigate climate change.
what is an NHPR?
It is a private area destined for ecological conservation.
The NHPRs are officially created by the Federal or State Government, and are recorded on the property’s land registry. This gives them a character of perpetuity, i.e., “once a NHPR, forever a NHPR”. This makes the Reserve a highly efficient instrument for conservation.
Where are we?
Located about 40 kilometers from the city center of Cavalcante (in the direction of Colinas do Sul), the Catingueiro Valley is one of the most conserved areas in the north of the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park. In the past, Catingueiro was an area with gold mining, hunting and small farming activities - some of the remnants of these activities can be seen in the ruins of houses and a small cemetery.
Currently with a very small population, the origin of the name Catingueiro is debated - possibly it refers to the deer “catingueiro”, a very common animal in the area.
Cerrado Biome
NHPR Sol & Luz of Catingueiro
A brief history
The Sol e Luz do Catingueiro Reserve joins the mosaic of other protected areas, Conservation Units (such as the PNCV) and the Kalunga territory, to complement the conservation efforts of biodiversity, water and carbon stocks in Cavalcante and the Chapada dos Veadeiros.
Its contiguous position to the PNCV, and close proximity to another privately protected area (NHPR Catingueiro), gives the Sol e Luz Reserve a strategic value for conservation.
Plans for the future
Carry out fauna and flora inventories
Install camera-traps to monitor the fauna
Opening of trails and installation of interpretative signs
Promote scientific research and environmental education in the area
