⚠️ IMPORTANT NOTICE: Drone Operations Prohibited in Serra da Canastra National Park

🛑 Authorization Status: CRITICAL PERMIT REQUIRED (RECREATIONAL FLIGHTS 100% BANNED)

• Recreational/Amateur Flights: Completely forbidden. There is no instant or paid authorization for tourists.
• Commercial, Scientific, or Media Flights: Allowed ONLY under strict, advance analysis. You must hold a formal environmental license issued by ICMBio and a cleared flight plan from DECEA.

Operating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/drones) inside this conservation unit without prior federal clearance is illegal due to strict environmental protection laws and severe geographical aviation hazards.

🗺️ Geographic Map Boundaries (Where it is prohibited)

The flight ban covers the entire official polygon of 200,000 hectares (2,000 km²) of the National Park, extending across the municipalities of São Roque de Minas, Vargem Bonita, Sacramento, Delfinópolis, São João Batista do Glória, and Capitólio.

• North Boundary: Extends along the massive rocky cliffs of the Paredão da Canastra.
• South Boundary: Limits with the rural valleys and canyon accesses near Delfinópolis.
• East/West Limits: Encompasses the entire high-altitude plateau (Chapadão da Canastra) and the Chapadão dos Diamantes.
• Critical No-Fly Zones: Absolute enforcement at the Nascente do Rio São Francisco, Cachoeira Casca d'Anta (both the 186m main drop and the upper pools), Cachoeira do Fundão, and the Garimpo das Pedras historic area.

📜 Key Regulations & Specific Legal Articles

• ICMBio Normative Instruction No. 61/2020: This federal ordinance dictates that any recreational operation of unmanned aircraft inside National Parks is completely forbidden without a previously issued environmental permit.
• Federal Law No. 9,605/1998 (Environmental Crimes Law - Art. 29 & 40): Protects endangered species unique to the Brazilian Cerrado. The high-pitched noise of drone rotors causes panic and defensive fleeing in highly sensitive and endangered fauna, including the Brazilian Merganser / Pato-mergulhão (Mergus octosetaceus) (one of the rarest birds in the world, which nests near the park's rivers), the Maned Wolf (Lobo-guará), and the Giant Anteater (Tamanduá-bandeira).
• DECEA ICA 100-40 & ANAC RBAC-94: The high plateau experiences sudden, violent wind gusts and severe wind shear near the canyon walls. Drone operations face extreme risks of motor overload, battery voltage drops due to thermal variations, and signal loss, which can cause the aircraft to crash into inaccessible vertical cliffs.

⚖️ Penalties for Violations

Anyone caught operating drones inside the park boundaries without authorization will face strict immediate legal action:

1. Immediate Equipment Seizure: Confiscation of the drone, remote controller, and all storage media by ICMBio Federal Rangers or Environmental Authorities.
2. Administrative Financial Sanctions: Fines starting at R$ 5,000.00 per infraction under Federal Decree 6,514/08.
3. Criminal Penalties: Registration of a federal environmental crime report for damaging a federal conservation unit and endangering critically endangered species.

🎥 Official Media & Research Licensing (How to request)

For institutional, scientific, or licensed commercial cinematography:

• Permits must be requested at least 45 business days in advance through the ICMBio SISBIO System.
• Pilots must obtain specific airspace clearance via the DECEA SARPAS system, matching the precise coordinates of the intended sector.

Thank you for respecting the Cerrado wildlife, protecting the rare Brazilian Merganser, and helping preserve the natural integrity of Serra da Canastra.