Establishment of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

Lencois Maranhenses National Park is a protected area on the coast of Maranhao in northeastern Brazil, famous for its vast fields of white sand dunes. During the rainy season, from roughly January to June, rainwater collects between the dunes and forms thousands of blue and green freshwater lagoons, which then dry up in the second half of the year. The name, meaning bed sheets, refers to the way the dunes look from the air. Fish are able to survive in the pools, which appear each year, and local people live on the edge of the park and take tourists across it. It is one of Brazil's most visited natural attractions and is regarded as a candidate for World Heritage status.

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