Taim Ecological Station

The Tentative Lists of States Parties are published by the World Heritage Centre at its website and/or in working documents in order to ensure transparency, access to information and to facilitate harmonization of Tentative Lists at regional and thematic levels. The sole responsibility for the content of each Tentative List lies with the State Party concerned. The publication of the Tentative Lists does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the World Heritage Committee or of the World Heritage Centre or of the Secretariat of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its boundaries. Situated in the district of Sta. Vitoria dos Palmares and Rio Grande, this station covers an area of 32000 hectares near the Uruguayan border. Taim si public property which has been declared an area of ecological interest, with a vast lagoon system partly formed by the Mirim, Jacaré, Nicola and Mangueira lagoons. Most of the marshland along the southern coast of Brazil is interesting on account of its biotic communities and its rich wildlife. The area at Taim has about 10 km of ocean beaches, mobile dunes and areas where sand and creeping vegetation alternate. Its inclusion in the world natural heritage is justified by the fact that it is particularly representative of this type of Brazilian ecosystem. The many species of animals, especially birds, are threatened by the growin changes affecting the marshland since it has been used for grazing and cultivation, without any attempt to preserve the wildlife; this process will lead to the extinction of certain species species such as the otter, the coypu, the crocodile and many others.