Scientific Tour - Hot Spot - Atlatic Rainforest

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The Atlantic Rainforest, declared the first biosphere reserve in Brazil by UNESCO in 1992, covers approximately 300,000 square kilometers, making it the second largest in the world after Northeast Greenland National Park in Denmark. It encompasses four of Brazil's seven World Natural Heritage Sites (Southeast Reserves, Discovery Coast, Iguaçu, and Fernando de Noronha / Atol das Rocas), as well as around 600 of the country's 900 conservation units.

Biodiversity

The species richness of the Mata Atlântica surpasses that of the Amazon Basin. With a multitude of endemic species, over 30 percent of which are found nowhere else, the Atlantic Forest has evolved into a complex ecosystem. Due to the varying altitudes, ranging up to mountain climates, and the isolated location of many forest fragments, the differences in flora and fauna are vast. In some areas, there are over 458 different tree species and 120 different animal species per hectare. Among the most well-known species are the jaguar, ocelot, and bush dog (Speothos venaticus). Many primates endemic to the Mata Atlântica are critically endangered. The dense vegetation, especially on the mountain slopes with high rainfall, creates a closed green canopy, under which there exists a consistently moist and shady microclimate, providing habitat for diverse plant types.

Typical and common plants include mosses, vines, bromeliads, and orchids. Including insects, there are reportedly 1.6 million species. At least 8,000 plant and animal species are endemic: 55% of tree species, 70% of bromeliads, 64% of palms, 39% of mammals, 160 bird species, and 183 amphibians. Many species have likely gone extinct before being cataloged. Endangered species include the sloth, howler monkeys, and lion tamarins. However, new species are also continually being discovered in the Mata Atlântica, such as over a thousand new flowering plants between 1990 and 2006.