ARKive - Atlantic forest video

1. The Atlantic forest is one of the most diverse and biologically rich forests in the world, but also one of the most highly threatened, with only around eight percent of its original cover remaining (1) (2). Also known as the Atlantic rainforest or Mata Atlântica, it comprises a unique series of South American forest ecosystems, which have long been isolated from the Atlantic forest’s larger and more famous neighbour, the Amazon rainforest (1) (3) (4).
2. Despite the scale of its destruction, the Atlantic forest possesses a diverse and fascinating range of species, many of which are found nowhere else, and as a result it has been designated a global ‘hotspot’ of biodiversity (1). Although parts of it receive as much rainfall as the Amazon, the Atlantic forest is generally cooler and experiences greater temperature fluctuations (5), with a climate that ranges from tropical to subtropical (6). It also covers a wide range of latitudes and altitudes, and this variability contributes to its vast array of different species (2) (5).
3. The Atlantic forest can be divided into a number of habitat types. In the lowlands, the coastal Atlantic forest occupies a narrow strip of land along the Brazilian coast, and comprises mainly tropical moist broadleaf forest (1) (5). Further inland, deciduous and semi-deciduous forest extends across mountain foothills and slopes (1) (2) (4) (5) (6) (7), while forests in the cooler south are often dominated by the Parana pine (Araucaria angustifolia) or by laurel species (Lauraceae) (2) (4) (6) (7). The Atlantic forest also includes other associated habitats such as mangrove forests, high-altitude grasslands (‘campo rupestre’), and coastal forests and scrub on sandy soils, known as restinga (2) (5) (6) (7).

ARKive - Atlantic forest video H24
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