⚠️ IMPORTANT NOTICE: Drone Operations Prohibited in Aparados da Serra 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 inside the canyon circuits.
• Commercial, Scientific, or Media Flights: Allowed ONLY under strict, advance analysis. You must hold a joint authorization from ICMBio, the private concessionaire (Urbia Cânions), and a cleared flight plan from DECEA.

Operating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/drones) inside this conservation unit without prior official clearance is illegal due to strict federal environmental laws and catastrophic wind shear hazards.

🗺️ Geographic Map Boundaries (Where it is prohibited)

The flight ban covers the entire official polygon of 13,000 hectares (130 km²) of the National Park, sitting on the border between the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, including the municipalities of Cambará do Sul, Praia Grande, and Jacinto Machado.

• North Boundary: Extends along the deep valleys of the SC state line and complex cliff networks.
• South Boundary: Limits with the plateau areas and rural borders of Cambará do Sul.
• East/West Limits: Encompasses the entire deep interior of the canyons and the Atlantic Forest slope ecosystems.
• Critical No-Fly Zones: Absolute enforcement at the Cânion Itaimbezinho (including the Cotovelo and Vértice trails), Cachoeira das Andorinhas, Cachoeira Véu de Noiva, and the entire Rio do Boi trail interior.

📜 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. The high-pitched noise of drone rotors causes panic and nesting desertion among rare birds that live directly on the vertical canyon walls, including the Red-spectacled Amazon / Papagaio-de-peito-roxo (Amazona vinacea) and various species of eagles and falcons.
• DECEA ICA 100-40 & ANAC RBAC-94: The canyon topography acts as a funnel for air masses, generating extreme, unpredictable wind shear, thermal updrafts, and microbursts. Drone operations face extreme risks of immediate structural failure, connection loss, and crashes, which permanently leaves hazardous electronic waste inside pristine, inaccessible valleys.

⚖️ 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 Park Rangers or Environmental Police.
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 protected avian 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 and coordinated directly with the park's concessionaire (Urbia Cânions).
• Pilots must obtain specific airspace clearance via the DECEA SARPAS system, matching the precise coordinates of the intended sector.

Thank you for respecting the mountain wildlife, protecting the rare Red-spectacled Amazon, and helping preserve the natural integrity of Aparados da Serra.