Ilha Grande State Park protects a large part of the island of Ilha Grande, off the coast of Angra dos Reis in Rio de Janeiro state. The island is known to travellers for forested slopes, beaches and boat access, but the park is a conservation unit with rules and boundaries—not simply a name for every attraction on the island. The state environment institute, INEA, manages the park and describes its purpose as protecting ecologically important natural ecosystems while supporting scientific research, environmental education, nature recreation and ecological tourism.
The park was created by State Decree 15,273 on 26 June 1971, demarcated in 1973 and later expanded and consolidated by Decree 40,602 in 2007. INEA’s current GeoINEA figure is 12,082.14 hectares. The park lies in the island portion of the Costa Verde and falls within the municipality of Angra dos Reis. Older reports may give a slightly different area because boundaries and measurement sources have changed; use the current INEA page when quoting an exact figure.
