Brazilian Biodiversity and the Urgency to Protect the Atlantic Forest and other Biomes

A monopolized view of Europe still attracts more investments only for the Amazon, disregarding the imminent loss of biodiversity in other regions of Brazil

The Atlantic Forest, an almost entirely Brazilian biome, stretches from the Northeast to the South, with interior areas that originally totaled 1.3 million km² — equivalent to the territory of England, France, and Spain combined. It still occupies small portions in eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina.

In the last 500 years, the country that calls itself “the most biodiverse on the planet” has been promoting a continuous and devastating process of degradation. More recently, the Cerrado and Amazon have suffered on a large scale. But it was the Atlantic Forest, especially the eastern strip of the territory, that was the first to be heavily impacted. Today, where 70% of the Brazilian population lives — about 120 million people — only 8.5% of the original coverage remains in good conservation status, according to the Atlantic Forest Atlas (INPE/SOS Mata Atlântica). These fragments are equivalent to the territory of Hungary.

Even reduced and fragmented, the Atlantic Forest remains essential for regulating the climate, ensuring water supply, and providing fundamental environmental services for the quality of life of millions of people. With over 40,000 plant species and 1,300 bird species, many of them endemic, the biome remains one of the most biodiverse on the planet — and, paradoxically, one of the most neglected in access to external funding.

Without disregarding the global relevance of the Amazon, it is urgent that Brazilian conservation be guided by technical criteria capable of assessing the different degrees of threat of the 78 ecoregions identified by IBAMA. This perspective would allow directing resources to areas under greater pressure, such as the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, which face fragmentation and habitat loss rates higher than many Amazonian regions.

In a scenario of chronic lack of investment in biodiversity, allocating resources only to the Amazon, based on superficial or media-driven criteria, is not enough. The international appeal to “save the Amazon” cannot ignore that other biomes are already on the brink of irreversible degradation.

It is essential to distribute investments equitably, taking into account the uniqueness and vulnerability of each biome. Each of them performs crucial ecological functions, and the loss of any compromises environmental balance and human well-being.

In summary: protecting the Amazon is vital. But protecting the Atlantic Forest, the Cerrado, and other biomes is too. A holistic approach, based on rigorous technical priorities, is the only one capable of ensuring Brazilian biodiversity and guaranteeing the future of the next generations.

Clóvis Borges is the executive director of SPVS (Society for Wildlife Research and Environmental Education).