Mata Atlântica
Encyclopedia
The Atlantic Forest is a region of tropical and subtropical moist forest, tropical dry forest, tropical savanna, semi deciduous forest and mangrove
forests which extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil
from Rio Grande do Norte state in the north to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south, and inland as far as Paraguay
and the Misiones Province of Argentina
. The Atlantic Forest is characterized by a high species diversity and endemism. It was the first environment that the Portuguese conquerors encountered over 500 years ago when it was thought to have have an area of 1 to 1.5 million km2 and stretching an unknown distance inland. Currently, the Atlantic Forest spans over 4000km2 along the coast of Brazil and in a small part of Paraguay and Argentina.
The Atlantic Forest region includes forests of several variations:
The Atlantic Forest is unusual in that it extends as a true tropical rainforest to latitudes as high as 24°S. This is because the trade winds produce precipitation throughout the southern winter. In fact, the northern Zona da Mata of northeastern Brazil receives much more rainfall between May and August than during the southern summer.
The Atlantic Forest is now designated a World Biosphere Reserve, which contains a large number of highly endangered species
. The enormous biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest results in part from the wide range of latitude it covers, its variations in altitude, its diverse climatic regimes as well as the geological and climatic history of the whole region.The Atlantic Forest is isolated from is neighboring large South American forests: The Amazon Region and the Andean Forest. The open vegetation of the Caatinga and the Cerado separate it from the Amazon, and the dry vegetation of the central depressions of the Chaco separate it from the Andean Forest. This isolation has resulted in an evolution of numerous endemic
species, such as lion tamarins, woolly spider monkey], and marmosets.
During glacial periods in the Pleistocene, the Atlantic Forest is known to have shrunk to extremely small fragmented refugias in highly sheltered gullies, being separated by areas of dry forest or semi-deserts known as caatingas. Some maps even suggest the forest actually survived in moist pockets well away from the coastline, where its endemic rainforest species mixed with much cooler-climate species. Unlike refugia for equatorial rainforests, the refuges for the Atlantic Forest have never been the product of detailed identification.
continues at an annual rate of .5% and up to 2.9% in urban areas.
leads to a cascade of alterations of the original forest landscape. For example, the extent of human disturbances, including habitat destruction
, in the Atlantic Forest has lead to an extinction crisis. The endemic species in this region are especially vulnerable to extinction due to fragmentation because of their small geographic rages and low occurrence. In a study of the Atlantic Forest fragments, community level biomass was reduced to 60% in plots less than 25 hectares. Key ecological processes such as seed dispersal, gene flow, colonization and other processes are disturbed by fragmentation. With many key vertebrate seed dispersers going extinct, it is predicted that many regional, fruit-bearing tree species in the Atlantic forest will become extinct due to failure of seedling recruitment and recolonisation. With all these species already threatened, it is predicted that with the persistence of current deforestation rates the Atlantic forest will see continued extinction of species.
, is using their research to preserve bird biodiversity of the area by primarily working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources.
Some organizations are receiving grants from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
(CEPF) if they abide by their directions. These include:
Another strategy being implemented to maintain biodiversity within the Atlantic Forest is creating wildlife corridor
s. The World Bank
is donating $44 million to create a corridor, which will be known as the Central Biodiversity Corridor, in the Atlantic Forest and one in the Amazon. In order to preserve diversity, the state of Sao Paulo
has created the Restinga de Bertioga State Park, a 9.3 thousand hectares park which is also serves as a wildlife corridor linking the coastal regions to the Serra do Mar mountain range. Some organizations, such as the Nature Conservancy, are planning to restore parts of the forest that have been lost and to build corridors that are compatible with the lifestyles of the native people. The Amazon Institute is active in reforestation efforts in the northeastern state of Pernambuco, Brazil. During 2007, Joao Milanez and Joanne Stanulonis have planted 5,500 new trees in the mountains commencing with Gravata, adding to the precious little, ancient forest left.
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Mangroves
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
forests which extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
from Rio Grande do Norte state in the north to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south, and inland as far as Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
and the Misiones Province of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. The Atlantic Forest is characterized by a high species diversity and endemism. It was the first environment that the Portuguese conquerors encountered over 500 years ago when it was thought to have have an area of 1 to 1.5 million km2 and stretching an unknown distance inland. Currently, the Atlantic Forest spans over 4000km2 along the coast of Brazil and in a small part of Paraguay and Argentina.
The Atlantic Forest region includes forests of several variations:
- RestingaRestingaRestinga is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2004 was 6,188 and the area is 246.37 km². The elevation is 910 m....
is a forest type that grows on stabilized coastal dunes. Restinga Forests are generally closed canopy short forests with tree density. Open Restinga is an open, savanna-like formation with scattered clumps of small trees and shrubs and an extensive layer of herbs, grasses, and sedges. - Tropical moist forests are forests that receive more than 2000mm of rain a year. This includes Lowland Tropical Moist Forests, Submontane Tropical Moist Forest, and Montane Tropical Moist Forest.
- Tabuleiro forests are found over very moist clay soils and Tabuleiro Savannas occur over faster-draining sand soils. These are humid areas that rely on water vapor from the ocean.
- Further inland are the Atlantic dry or seasonal forests, which form a transition between the arid CaatingaCaatingaCaatinga is a type of vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in the northeastern part of Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation"...
to the northeast and the Cerradosza savannas to the east. These forests are lower in stature; more open, with high abundance of deciduous trees and lower diversity when compared to tropical moist forests. These forests have between 700-1600 mm of precipitation annually with a distinct dry season. This includes Deciduous and Semideciduous Seasonal Forest each with there own lowland and montane regions. - Montane moist forests are higher altitude wet forests across mountains and plateaus of southern Brazil.
- Shrubby montane savannas occur at the highest elevations, also called Campo rupestre.
The Atlantic Forest is unusual in that it extends as a true tropical rainforest to latitudes as high as 24°S. This is because the trade winds produce precipitation throughout the southern winter. In fact, the northern Zona da Mata of northeastern Brazil receives much more rainfall between May and August than during the southern summer.
The Atlantic Forest is now designated a World Biosphere Reserve, which contains a large number of highly endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
. The enormous biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest results in part from the wide range of latitude it covers, its variations in altitude, its diverse climatic regimes as well as the geological and climatic history of the whole region.The Atlantic Forest is isolated from is neighboring large South American forests: The Amazon Region and the Andean Forest. The open vegetation of the Caatinga and the Cerado separate it from the Amazon, and the dry vegetation of the central depressions of the Chaco separate it from the Andean Forest. This isolation has resulted in an evolution of numerous endemic
Endemic
Endemic may refer to:* Endemism, the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location* Endemic , the state when in which an infection is maintained in a population without the need for external inputs...
species, such as lion tamarins, woolly spider monkey], and marmosets.
During glacial periods in the Pleistocene, the Atlantic Forest is known to have shrunk to extremely small fragmented refugias in highly sheltered gullies, being separated by areas of dry forest or semi-deserts known as caatingas. Some maps even suggest the forest actually survived in moist pockets well away from the coastline, where its endemic rainforest species mixed with much cooler-climate species. Unlike refugia for equatorial rainforests, the refuges for the Atlantic Forest have never been the product of detailed identification.
Biodiversity
Despite so little forest remaining, the Atlantic Forest remains extraordinarily lush in biodiversity and endemic species, many of which are threatened with extinction. Approximately 40 percent of its vascular plants and up 60 percent of its vertebrates are endemic species meaning they are found no other place in the world. The official threatened species list of Brazil contains over 140 terrestrial mammal species found in Atlantic Forest. In Paraguay, there are 35 species listed as threatened and 22 species are listed as threatened in the interior portion of the Atlantic Forests of Argentina. Nearly 250 species of amphibians, birds, and mammals have become extinct due to the result of human activity in the past 400 years. Over 11,000 species of plants and animals are considered threatened today in the Atlantic Forest. Over 52% of the tree species and 92% of the amphibians are endemic to this area. The forest harbors around 20,000 species of plants, with almost 450 tree species being found in just one hectare in some occasions. New species are continually being found in the Atlantic Forest. In fact, between 1990 and 2006 over a thousand new flowering plants were discovered. In 1990 researchers discovered a new tamarin, the black-faced lion tamarin (Leontopithecus caissara). A new species of blonde capuchin (Cebus queirozi), named for its distinguishing bright blonde hair, was discovered in nothereastern Brazil at the Pernambuco Endemism Center in 2006. A species of endangered three-toed sloth named the maned sloth (Bradypus torquatus) because of its longhair, is endemic to the Atlantic Forest.Human Impact
Unfortunately, the Atlantic Forest has been facing human-induced threats for decades. Around 70% of Brazil’s 120 million people live along the Atlantic coastline. The incorporation of modern human societies and their needs for forest resources has greatly reduced the size of the Atlantic Forest, which has resulted in species impoverishment. Almost 88% of the original forest habitat has been lost and replaced by human-modified landscapes including pastures, croplands, and urban areas. This deforestationDeforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
continues at an annual rate of .5% and up to 2.9% in urban areas.
- Agriculture: A major portion of human land use in the Atlantic Rain Forest is for agriculture. Crops include sugar-cane, coffee, tea, tobacco and more recently soybean and biofuel crops.
- Pasture: Even more common than using land for agriculture is the conversionConversion-Economy and Finance:* Currency conversion or exchange rate* Conversion , one of the options strategies* Economic conversion-Law:* Conversion , conversion by taking a chattel out of the possession of another with the intent of exercising a permanent or temporary dominion over it, despite the...
of forest to cattle pastures. This is commonly done by method of slash and burn which increases a forest chance of human-induced burning. - Hunting: Species in a fragmented forest are more susceptible to decline in population size because they are in an confined area that is more accessible to hunters. Larger animals make up the highest percentage of biomass. These animals are also the most rewarding to hunters and are heavily hunted in accessible fragments. This results in a change in species interactions such as seed dispersal and competition for resources.
- Logging: Logging removes 10 to 80% of the canopy cover of a forest making that habitat more susceptible to natural elements such as wind and sunlight. This causes an increase in forest heating and desiccationDesiccationDesiccation is the state of extreme dryness, or the process of extreme drying. A desiccant is a hygroscopic substance that induces or sustains such a state in its local vicinity in a moderately sealed container.-Science:...
. Large amounts of organic litter and debris builds up which results in an increase in forests vulnerability to fires. Additionally, logging roads create accessibility for humans; and therefore increases the amount of human land disturbances and decreases the amount of natural forest. - Fire: Human activity such as logging causes an increase in debris along forest floors that makes the Atlantic Forest more susceptible to fires. This is a forest type that is not accustomed to regular fire activity, so human induced fires dramatically affect the forest understory because plants do not have fire adaptations. In result, the forest becomes even more vulnerable to secondary fires, which are far more destructive and kill many more species including large trees.
Results of human activity
Habitat fragmentationHabitat fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation as the name implies, describes the emergence of discontinuities in an organism's preferred environment , causing population fragmentation...
leads to a cascade of alterations of the original forest landscape. For example, the extent of human disturbances, including habitat destruction
Habitat destruction
Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of...
, in the Atlantic Forest has lead to an extinction crisis. The endemic species in this region are especially vulnerable to extinction due to fragmentation because of their small geographic rages and low occurrence. In a study of the Atlantic Forest fragments, community level biomass was reduced to 60% in plots less than 25 hectares. Key ecological processes such as seed dispersal, gene flow, colonization and other processes are disturbed by fragmentation. With many key vertebrate seed dispersers going extinct, it is predicted that many regional, fruit-bearing tree species in the Atlantic forest will become extinct due to failure of seedling recruitment and recolonisation. With all these species already threatened, it is predicted that with the persistence of current deforestation rates the Atlantic forest will see continued extinction of species.
Conservation and Nongovernmental Organizations
Due to the Atlantic Forest’s vast diversity of endemic plants and animals as well as the fragmentation affecting these species, many groups and organizations are working towards the restoration of this unique ecosystem. Non-governmental Organizations (NGO) are huge benefactors in Brazil, providing funding as well as professional help to the Atlantic Forest due to the Brazilian Environmental Movement. One organization, called BirdLife InternationalBirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
, is using their research to preserve bird biodiversity of the area by primarily working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources.
Some organizations are receiving grants from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is a global program that provides provides funding and technical assistance to nongovernmental organizations and other private sector partners to protect critical ecosystems. They focus on biodiversity hotspots, the Earth's biologically richest yet most...
(CEPF) if they abide by their directions. These include:
- Species protection program
- The Program for Supporting Private Natural Heritage Reserves
- The Institutional Strengthening Program
Another strategy being implemented to maintain biodiversity within the Atlantic Forest is creating wildlife corridor
Wildlife corridor
A wildlife corridor or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities . This allows an exchange of individuals between populations, which may help prevent the negative effects of inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity that often occur within...
s. The World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
is donating $44 million to create a corridor, which will be known as the Central Biodiversity Corridor, in the Atlantic Forest and one in the Amazon. In order to preserve diversity, the state of Sao Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
has created the Restinga de Bertioga State Park, a 9.3 thousand hectares park which is also serves as a wildlife corridor linking the coastal regions to the Serra do Mar mountain range. Some organizations, such as the Nature Conservancy, are planning to restore parts of the forest that have been lost and to build corridors that are compatible with the lifestyles of the native people. The Amazon Institute is active in reforestation efforts in the northeastern state of Pernambuco, Brazil. During 2007, Joao Milanez and Joanne Stanulonis have planted 5,500 new trees in the mountains commencing with Gravata, adding to the precious little, ancient forest left.
Ecoregions
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forestsTropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....
- Araucaria moist forestsAraucaria moist forestsThe Araucaria moist forests are a subtropical moist forest ecoregion of southern Brazil and northeastern Argentina.-Setting:The Araucaria moist forests cover an area of , encompassing a region of mountains and plateaus in the Brazilian states of São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do...
- Atlantic Coast restingasAtlantic Coast restingasAtlantic Coast restingas are an ecoregion of Brazil, part of the Atlantic Forest region. Restingas are coastal forests which form on sandy, acidic, and nutrient-poor soils, and are characterized by medium sized trees and shrubs adapted to the dry and nutrient-poor conditions found...
- Bahia coastal forestsBahia coastal forestsThe Bahia coastal forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of eastern Brazil, part of the larger Atlantic Forest region.-Setting:...
- Bahia interior forestsBahia interior forestsThe Bahia interior forests is an ecoregion of eastern Brazil. It is part of the larger Atlantic forests complex, and lies between the coastal Atlantic moist forests and the dry shrublands and savannas of Brazil's interior.-Setting:...
- Caatinga enclaves moist forestsCaatinga enclaves moist forestsThe Caatinga enclaves moist forests are a tropical moist forest ecoregion of northeastern Brazil, which forms a series of discontinuous, island-like enclaves in the dry Caatingas xeric shrubland and thorn forests and Cerrado savannas.-Setting:...
- Paraná-Paraíba interior forestsParaná-Paraíba interior forestsThe Alto Paraná Atlantic forests, also known as the Paraná-Paraíba interior forests, is a tropical moist forest ecoregion of southern Brazil, northeastern Argentina, and eastern Paraguay.-Setting:...
- Pernambuco coastal forestsPernambuco coastal forestsThe Pernambuco coastal forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of northeastern Brazil, part of the larger Atlantic Forest region.-Setting:...
- Pernambuco interior forestsPernambuco interior forestsThe Pernambuco interior forests is an ecoregion of eastern Brazil. It is part of the larger Atlantic forests complex, and lies between the coastal Pernambuco coastal forests and the dry Caatinga shrublands of Brazil's interior.-Setting:...
- Serra do Mar coastal forestsSerra do Mar coastal forestsBiome: Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forestsRealm: NeotropicalWWF ID: NT0160Size: 104,800 square kilometers...
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest biome, also known as tropical dry forest, is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive several hundred centimeters of rain per year, they have long dry seasons...
- Atlantic dry forestsAtlantic dry forestsThe Atlantic dry forests are a tropical dry forest ecoregion of eastern Brazil.-Setting:The Atlantic dry forests cover an area of , lying between the Cerrado savannas of central Brazil and the Caatinga dry shrublands of northeastern Brazil. The Atlantic dry forests stretch from northern Minas...
Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands are a grassland terrestrial biome located in semi-arid to semi-humid climate regions of subtropical and tropical latitudes. Grasslands are dominated by grass and other herbaceous plants. Savannas are grasslands with scattered trees...
- Campos Rupestres montane savannaCampos Rupestres montane savannaThe Campos Rupestres montane savanna is a montane subtropical savanna ecoregion of eastern Brazil, a part of the cerrado ecoregion.-Setting:The ecoregion lies between 700 and 2000 meters elevation, forming several discontinuous enclaves in the Serra do Espinhaço, Serra da Mantiqueira, Serra dos...
Mangroves
- Bahia mangrovesBahia mangrovesThe Bahia mangroves is a tropical mangrove ecoregion of northeastern Brazil occupying minor bays, estuaries, and river inlets along the coast from Recôncavo on Todos os Santos Bay in Bahia State north to the Doce River in Espírito Santo State. The total ecoregion comprises 2,100 square kilometers...
- Ilha Grande mangroves
- Rio Piranhas mangroves
- Rio São Francisco mangroves
External links
- Amazon Institute
- Atlantic Forest (Conservation International)
- Atlantic Forest Foundation, help preserves the Atlantic Forest
- Iracambi Atlantic Rainforest Research and Conservation Center
- Atlantic forest (World Wildlife Fund)
- Plant a Billion Trees in the Atlantic Forest
- Conservation significance of the Atlantic Forest
- Embassy of Brazil in London: Atlantic Forest
- FirstFlora
- The Nature Conservancy: Atlantic Forest (with photo)
- The Reforestation efforts of 2 individuals in Pernambuco Joanne Stanulonis and João Milanêz
- UNESCO: Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves