The Paraíso Ecological Station (ESEC) was divided between the municipalities of Cachoeiras de Macacu (76.2%) and Guapimirim (23.8%).

[4] The objective was to conduct basic and applied research of the ecology, to protect the natural environment and to develop environmental education.

In 1979, FEEMA, which was responsible for the ESEC, implemented the Primatology Center of Rio de Janeiro (CPRJ) to study Brazilian primates, breed them in captivity and reintroduce them in the wild, covering 260 hectares (640 acres).

[2] The Paraíso Ecological Station was made part of the Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic, created in 2006.

[5] As of September 2010, the primatology center held about 250 captive small and medium-sized primates in 85 nurseries, and was researching 16 species whose survival was compromised with a view to reintroducing them into their original environments.