Atlantic Forest

Atlantic Forest
Mata Atlântica
Area of the Atlantic Forest in Serra do Mar
Map
Map of the Atlantic Forest ecoregions as delineated by the WWF. The yellow line approximately encloses the forest's distribution.
(Satellite image from NASA)
Geography
LocationArgentina, Brazil, Paraguay
Area1,315,460 km2 (507,900 sq mi)
Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Atlantic Forest in Bahia State, Brazil
LocationBrazil
IncludesUna Biological Reserve, PAU Brazil CEPLAC Experimental Station, Veracruz Station, Pau Brasil National Park, Descobrimento National Park, Monte Pascoal National Park, Linhares Forest Reserve and Sooretama Biological Reserve
CriteriaNatural: ix, x
Reference892
Inscription1999 (23rd Session)
Area111,930 ha
Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves
UNESCO World Heritage Site
View from a trail in the Salto Morato Reserve
Official nameAtlantic Forest South-East Reserves
LocationParaná and São Paulo, Brazil
Includes25 protected areas
CriteriaNatural: (vii)(ix)(x)
Reference893rev
Inscription1999 (23rd Session)
Area468,193 ha (1,807.70 sq mi)
Coordinates24°10′S 48°0′W / 24.167°S 48.000°W / -24.167; -48.000

The Atlantic Forest (Portuguese: Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and the Misiones Province of Argentina, where the region is known as Selva Misionera.

The Atlantic Forest has ecoregions within the following biome categories: seasonal moist and dry broad-leaf tropical forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands, and mangrove forests. The Atlantic Forest is characterized by a high biodiversity and endemism.[1]

It was the first environment that the Portuguese colonists encountered over 500 years ago, when it was thought to have had an area of 1,000,000–1,500,000 km2 (390,000–580,000 sq mi), and stretching an unknown distance inland, making it, back then, the second largest rainforest on the planet, only behind the Amazon rainforest.[2] Over 85% of the original area has been deforested, threatening many plant and animal species with extinction.[3][4][5]

  1. ^ Dafonseca, G. 1985. The Vanishing Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Biological Conservation 34:17-34.
  2. ^ Por, Francis Dov. 1992. Sooretama: the Atlantic rain forest of Brazil. The Hague: SPB Academic Pub.
  3. ^ "The Atlantic Forest". The Nature Conservancy.
  4. ^ "Atlantic Forests, South America". WWF.
  5. ^ De Lima, Renato A. F.; Dauby, Gilles; De Gasper, André L.; Fernandez, Eduardo P.; Vibrans, Alexander C.; Oliveira, Alexandre A. De; Prado, Paulo I.; Souza, Vinícius C.; F. De Siqueira, Marinez; Ter Steege, Hans (2024-01-12). "Comprehensive conservation assessments reveal high extinction risks across Atlantic Forest trees". Science. 383 (6679): 219–225. doi:10.1126/science.abq5099. PMID 38207046.