Tropical Atlantic Forest

Tropical Atlantic Forest
Name	Tropical Atlantic Forest
Native name	Mata Atlântica (Portuguese)
Biome	Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Area km2	~1,000,000
Countries	Brazil; Paraguay; Argentina; Uruguay
Conservation	Critically endangered

Tropical Atlantic Forest The Tropical Atlantic Forest is a biodiverse biome of coastal and montane rainforests along the eastern coast of South America with major tracts in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. It encompasses a mosaic of ecosystems from lowland Atlantic coastlines to highland cloud forests in the Serra do Mar and Mata Atlântica highlands, and has been a focal point for research by institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, World Wildlife Fund, and Conservation International. The region's high levels of endemism have drawn attention from organizations including the United Nations Environment Programme and the IUCN.

Definition and Extent

The Tropical Atlantic Forest refers to the Atlantic-facing forested corridor stretching from the state of Rio Grande do Norte in northeastern Brazil southward through Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo into Paraná and Santa Catarina, reaching into northeastern Argentina provinces like Misiones and eastern Paraguay including Alto Paraná. Major physiographic units include the Serra do Mar, the Serra Geral, and coastal plains adjacent to the South Atlantic Ocean; demarcations have been used by agencies such as the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Historical biogeographic syntheses by researchers affiliated with the Oecologia and Journal of Biogeography have mapped refugia and fragmentation patterns across municipalities and states.

Climate and Ecology

Climatic regimes in the Tropical Atlantic Forest range from humid tropical climates along the coast to subtropical and montane climates in the highlands, influenced by systems studied by researchers at the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa)]. Precipitation patterns are shaped by interactions between the South Atlantic Convergence Zone, the Intertropical Convergence Zone, and orographic lift on ranges like the Serra do Mar, leading to perennial rainfall in cloud forests monitored by teams from the Brazilian National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA). Ecological classifications used by the World Wildlife Fund and the IUCN distinguish evergreen ombrophilous forest, seasonal semi-deciduous forest, and mixed ombrophilous forests (Araucaria) across elevational gradients noted in studies by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the New York Botanical Garden.

Flora and Fauna

The flora includes families and genera cataloged by institutions such as the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro and the Missouri Botanical Garden, featuring epiphytes, lianas, and emergent trees like species documented in monographs by the Brazilian Botanical Society and the Linnean Society of London. Endemic plant taxa include representatives described in journals from the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution and the Royal Ontario Museum. Faunal assemblages recorded by the American Museum of Natural History and the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo comprise mega- and microfauna: primates studied in fieldwork by teams from the Primate Research Center, such as the golden lion tamarin research projects connected to the Golden Lion Tamarin Association; avifauna catalogued by the Audubon Society and the Brazilian Ornithological Society; amphibians and reptiles documented in publications from the Herpetological Society of Brazil; and large mammals referenced in conservation plans by the IUCN and World Wide Fund for Nature. Mycological and invertebrate diversity has been profiled in collaborations involving the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and university departments at Universidade de São Paulo.

Human History and Cultural Importance

Human occupation of the Atlantic Forest landscape includes Indigenous societies such as groups recorded in ethnographic records by the Museu do Índio and historical encounters described in archives of the Portuguese Empire and the Spanish Empire. Colonial-era land use linked to the Captaincies of Brazil and the Jesuit reductions reshaped mosaics later transformed by plantations associated with the sugarcane industry and the coffee boom, historical processes chronicled in works at the National Historical Museum (Brazil). Urban expansion of metropolises like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo—studied in urban ecology by the University of São Paulo—has cultural impacts documented by the Brazilian Institute of Museums and by anthropologists affiliated with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Threats and Conservation

Drivers of habitat loss cited in reports by the IUCN, World Resources Institute, and Greenpeace include deforestation for soybean agriculture, cattle ranching linked to actors recorded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Brazil, and infrastructure projects such as roads and dams evaluated by the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES. Fragmentation has been quantified in landscape analyses published through the International Union for Conservation of Nature and universities including Universidade Federal do Paraná. Protected-area initiatives involve federal and state agencies like the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation and NGOs including Conservation International and the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact; transboundary conservation efforts have engaged the Mercosur secretariats and bilateral accords between Brazil and Argentina. Species extinctions and IUCN Red List assessments have spurred listings and recovery plans by the Ministry of Environment (Brazil) and international partners such as the Global Environment Facility.

Restoration and Management Strategies

Restoration approaches promoted by the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact, research programs at the University of São Paulo, and funders such as the World Bank emphasize landscape-scale reforestation, connectivity corridors inspired by work on the Trinational Biodiversity Corridor, and payment for ecosystem services schemes piloted with support from the Inter-American Development Bank. Techniques include assisted natural regeneration trials reported in the Journal of Applied Ecology and active planting programs coordinated by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), botanical collections from the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, and community-based stewardship models developed with participation by the Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica and municipal governments. Monitoring and adaptive management employ remote sensing from satellites like those managed by INPE and biodiversity monitoring protocols standardized by the Convention on Biological Diversity and the IUCN.

Category:Forests of South America