Ecotourism: Minas Gerais state parks granted to private sector

In an auction held Wednesday (Dec. 21) at the São Paulo Stock Exchange, the government of Minas Gerais granted the Ibitipoca and Itacolomi state parks to the private sector. Company Parques Fundos de Investimento em Participações em Infraestrutura paid BRL 3.5 million for the concession of the two parks, nearly nine times the minimum BRL 391.4 thousand stipulated.

The corporation will be in charge of the management and maintenance of the parks’ attractions and will operate visitation and ecotourism activities for 30 years. The privatization plan drawn up by Brazil’s development bank BNDES includes investments adding up BRL 15 million over the next six years.

The parks

The Ibitipoca State Park is located in the municipality of Lima Duarte, in the Zona da Mata region, and covers some 1.5 thousand hectares. Each year, the conservation area welcomes approximately 90 thousand visitors, who come to enjoy the waterfalls and caves.

The Itacolomi State Park is situated in the historical cities of Ouro Preto and Mariana and has an area of 5.9 thousand hectares, with about 15 thousand visitors a year. The park boasts waterfalls, caves and historical constructions, besides the Itacolomi Peak, with 1.7 thousand meters of altitude.