The Natal Dunes State Park was created on November 22, 1977 by Decree nº 7237. as a result of the building of a Coastal Road, bordering the long dunes which abound with native vegetation and valuable aquiferous reserves for the city of Natal. Through the Board of Planning of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, the Park of Dunes Project was developed which aimed at carrying out an eco-zoo-botanical survey of the area, with the objective of studying the ecosystem of the dunes. Throughout the period from August 1980 to July 1982 we travelled all over its 1.172 ha and realised that the vegetation of the area contains some elements of the Atlantic Forest, but with an admixture of some species of the Caatinga and of the Coastal Tableland 359 plants were collected, out of which, 264 different species could be recognised, identified at the specimen and genus level by the botanist of the National Museum in conjunction with specialist of the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro. The research identified 78 families with a greater domination of Leguminosae, Myrtaceae, Gramineae (Poaceae); Compositae; Euphorbiaceae; Convolvulaceae and Rubiaceae. Among the arboreous species of importance in the area, we should name the brazilwood - Caesalpinea echinata Lam. sucupira - Bowdichia virgilioide HBK; magaranduba-Manilkara aff. amazonica Hub; e o Kiri - Brosimum guianense (Aublet.) Hub.
Surveying floristic; The Natal Dunes State Park; Atlantic dunes forest; Coastal Sandbank; protector of the aquiferous reserves