Atlantic Rainforest

The Atlantic Rainforest

The Atlantic Rainforest, also known as Mata Atlântica, is a dense Neotropical forest that stretches along the Brazilian Atlantic coastline for over 1800 miles.
The Atlantic Rainforest has been exposed to heavy predatory exploitation and as a result only 7% of its original vegetation cover is remaining. Less than 24% of the Atlantic Rainforest is under protection, and features mostly isolated forest patches.
The Atlantic Rainforest is regarded as one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet. Over 900 bird species and 500 amphibian species occur here, a large number of which are native species. There are no fewer than 180 endemic bird species, and 90% of the amphibian species found in this biome can be found nowhere else.

The Atlantic Rainforest also hosts 260 mammal species, including the Golden Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia), the Northern Muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus), and the Southern Muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoids).

The Atlantic Rainforest has an amazing variety of habitats, from montane forests to Araucaria forests, and from sandbank forests to mangroves. This biome accounts for 8% of the world's plant species, and features a staggering degree of endemism. The Pau Brasil (Caesalpinia echinata), a tree exploited for five centuries, is one of the many threatened endemic plant species from the Atlantic Rainforest.

The Southeastern Atlantic Rainforest, which sprawls across the Paraná State and the São Paulo State, harbors the greatest number of conservation units where large pieces of native rainforests have been preserved. In total, 25 conservation units protect over 1 million acres listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.