Atlantic Forests

Also known as Mata Atlântica, this region covers over 1.2 million km² and is home to about 150 million people, stretching along Brazil's eastern coast and extending inland to Argentina and Paraguay.

This area is responsible for 70% of Brazil's GDP and provides essential natural resources such as clean air, climate regulation, soil protection, pollination, food, medicine, and drinking water (60% of Brazil's population relies on water from this region). The Atlantic Forest hosts hundreds of mammal and reptile species, over 1,300 bird species, more than 750 reptile and amphibian species, and 23,000 plant species, with 40% of the plants and 31% of the fauna being endemic.

It is one of the world's most threatened forest ecosystems due to biodiversity loss and deforestation, mainly driven by land-use changes caused by unsustainable cattle ranching and agriculture expansion, which introduce exotic species that alter soil characteristics, affecting the entire ecosystem. Additionally, the lack of proper infrastructure and regulation for treating greywater and industrial waste pollutes waterways. Combined with infrastructure construction without environmental safeguards, this results in biodiversity loss and landscape fragmentation.