[3] An internal road leads to the former transmission tower of TV Leste on one of the highest points of the region at 1,581 metres (5,187 ft).

[2] Objectives included protecting a large number of water sources of vital importance in the dry Upper Jequitinhonha region, protecting biological diversity in the Atlantic Forest, rocky field, cerrado and gallery forest ecosystems, reducing the impact of charcoal production and encouraging ecotourism in a region with severe social problems.

[3] In April 2013, the Public Ministry and Justice department of Minas Gerais charged that the State Forestry Institute had been failing to comply with environmental legislation.

There were serious problems such as lack of a management plan, physical structures and personnel, and land tenure issues with the ecological stations of Mata do Acauã and Mata dos Ausentes and the state parks of Biribiri, Alto Cariri, Rio Preto and Serra Negra.

Large stands of canela-de-ema (Vellozia squamata) can be found in the mountains and in areas with sandy soil, reaching over 3 metres (9.8 ft) in height.

[4] Fauna is diversified and includes locally rare or endangered species such as lobo guará, guigor, barbado ou guariba, suçuarana, catitu and jaguatirica.

Volunteer fire brigades have been trained, environmental awareness signs erected and gazebos and ecological trails developed.