Endangered species in Mata Atlântica

Historically, the Mata Atlântica composed of more than a 1.2 million square kilometers, but after centuries of deforestation the Mata Atlântica has declined by well over 90% today less than 100.000 square kilometers of the forest remains. Despite so little forest survive, the Mata Atlântica remains remarkably rich in biodiversity ,but 60% of Brazil's endangered species are in the Mata Atlântica, some endemic species.

Deforestation of forest for agriculture, both industrial and small-scale, remains a major cause for deforestation in the Mata Atlântica. However the Mata Atlântica also suffers from cattle ranching, eucalyptus plantations,  hunting and poaching, urban sprawl and proximity to large urban centers cause pollution problems. Between 2005-2008, 102.938 hectares of Mata Atlântica were destroyed, with an average of 34.121 hectares per year.

New species continue to be found in the Mata Atlântica, The area has even yielded new primate species. In 1990 researchers discovered a new tamarin: the black-faced lion tamarin . In 2006 researchers rediscovered the blonde capuchin.  Due to a number of threats and species left in small, dwindling fragments, a Brazilian conservationist, Antonio Rossano Mendes Pontes, has called species in the Mata Atlântica: 'the living dead'. Examples of endangered species in the Mata Atlantic are the: muriquis, Blonde capuchin, Brazilian arboreal mouse, Maned sloth, Thin-spined porcupine, The Brazilian merganser, Brazilian Snake-Necked Turtle, Brazilian Gold Frog , among others. With forest deforestation these species tend to disappear and some species still unknown will be extinguished.

Conservation awareness has come to the forefront in many parts of the Mata Atlântica A number of ambitious projects are underway, including reforesting large parts of the land, as the initiative by President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in November 2008, said the government AIMS to restore the Atlantic Forest to 20 percent of its original cover. And the program by the Nature Conservancy is working to plant one billion trees over approximately 10.000 square kilometers in the Mata Atlântica.

Luisa Freitas