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33-665: The Vale do Ribeira is in the south of the state of São Paulo and in the north of the state of Paraná. It includes the Ribeira de Iguape River Basin and the Iguape-Cananéia-Paranaguá estuary lagoon complex. It has an area of 28,306.66 square kilometres (10,929.26 sq mi), with a 2000 population of 481,224. It includes 22 municipalities in São Paulo and 9 in Paraná. 21 other municipalities in Paraná and 18 in São Paulo contain parts of

66-608: A corridor, which will be known as the Central Biodiversity Corridor , in the Atlantic Forest and one in the Amazon. The Brazilian Development Bank has been financing, with non-reimbursable loans, 16 to 18 ecosystem restoration projects totaling 3,500 hectares and costing approximately $ 22 million under the so-called Iniciativa BNDES Mata Atlântica. In order to preserve diversity, the state of São Paulo has created

99-478: Is 100,880 inhabitants, of which 43,131 live in rural areas. There are 12 quilombola communities. Municipalities in Paraná that lie in the Ribeira de Iguape River iguape include: Atlantic Forest The Atlantic Forest ( Portuguese : Mata Atlântica ) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in

132-538: Is a cave located within the Caverna do Diabo State Park next to the Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park , in the municipality of Eldorado, Iporanga , 280 km from São Paulo , Brazil . It is the second longest cave in the state of São Paulo and also the highlight of what the local guides call "Circuit Disneyland," which is a series of family attractions that people of all ages can enjoy. The beginning of

165-432: Is a source of income for many communities. Commercialization of Juçara juice has potential. Mariculture, including oysters, shellfish and fish, is also showing promise. The state and federal governments are investing in development of ecotourism and adventure tourism. Some of the main attractions are the impressive calcareous caves such as those of Diabo , Santana , Morro Preto, Água Suja and Casa da Pedra . In São Paulo

198-435: Is active in reforestation efforts in the northeastern state of Pernambuco , Brazil. During 2007, Joao Milanez and Joanne Stanulonis have planted 5,500 new trees in the mountains commencing with Gravata, adding to the precious little, ancient forest left. The Pact for Atlantic Forest Restoration has assembled over 100 businesses, nongovernmental and governmental organizations around the goal of having 15 million hectares of

231-473: Is allowed to stay no longer than 60 minutes inside the cave. Discovered in 1886 by the explorer Sigismund Ernst Richard Krone , the cave was then named Caverna da Tapagem , meaning "mysterious place". Some legends were responsible for the appearance of the most popular pseudonym Devil's Cave around 1964, for the Indians who inhabited the vicinity of the cave believed that if they were hit by drops of water from

264-481: Is close to the major industrial centers of São Paulo and Curitiba , and there are proposals to divert water to these centers. In recent years infrastructure improvements have included making BR-116 a divided highway and construction of hydroelectric plants. The Vale do Ribeira today has large numbers of small properties, up to 50 hectares (120 acres), producing bananas, beef, tomatoes and tangerines. Other products include maté tea, rice, corn and flowers, and fish in

297-479: Is predicted that many regional, fruit-bearing tree species in the Atlantic forest will become extinct due to failure of seedling recruitment and recolonisation. With all these species already threatened, it is predicted that with the persistence of current deforestation rates the Atlantic forest will see continued extinction of species. Due to the Atlantic Forest's vast diversity of endemic plants and animals as well as

330-509: Is unusual in that it extends as a true tropical rain forest to latitudes as far as 28°S. This is because the trade winds produce precipitation throughout the southern winter. In fact, the northern Zona da Mata of northeastern Brazil receives much more rainfall between May and August than during the southern summer. The geographic range of Atlantic Forest vary depending on author or institution that published them. Information on four most important boundaries as well as their union and intersection

363-675: The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund if they abide by its rules. These include the Species Protection Program, the Program for Supporting Private Natural Heritage Reserves and the Institutional Strengthening Program. Another strategy being implemented to maintain biodiversity within the Atlantic Forest is creating wildlife corridors . The World Bank is donating $ 44 million to create

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396-558: The Restinga de Bertioga State Park , a 9.3 thousand hectares park which also serves as a wildlife corridor linking the coastal regions to the Serra do Mar mountain range. Some organizations, such as the Nature Conservancy , are planning to restore parts of the forest that have been lost and to build corridors that are compatible with the lifestyles of the native people. The Amazon Institute

429-618: The Superagui lion tamarin ( Leontopithecus caissara ). Conservation units include: Gold was mined in the region from the 17th century, and more recently other minerals. Farms produced rice, coffee, tea and bananas. The Vale do Ribeira became a supplier of low-cost natural resources, exploited without regard for the environment or cultural heritage. It is one of the poorest parts of the states of São Paulo and Paraná, with low levels of education and employment. The economically active and young population continues to migrate to other regions. The region

462-606: The Atlantic Forest. New species are continually being found in the Atlantic Forest. In fact, between 1990 and 2006 over a thousand new flowering plants were discovered. Furthermore, in 1990 researchers re-discovered a small population of the black-faced lion tamarin ( Leontopithecus caissara ), previously thought to have been extinct. In 1991, the butterfly Actinote zikani was rediscovered in southern Brazil, after being declared extinct ten years earlier. In southern Brazil A new species of blonde capuchin ( Cebus queirozi ), named for its distinguishing bright blonde hair,

495-559: The Ribeira basin. Sub-basins of the Ribeira de Iguape River in São Paulo are: Coastal basins of the Iguape-Cananéia-Paranaguá estuary lagoon complex are: The region has over 10,000 species of flora and fauna. It has over 21,000 square kilometres (8,100 sq mi) of well-preserved forests, about 21% of the total remaining Atlantic Forest in Brazil. It also has 1,500 square kilometres (580 sq mi) of restinga and 170 square kilometres (66 sq mi) of mangroves . In 1999

528-523: The Southeast Atlantic Forest Reserve, which covered 17 municipalities in the Vale do Ribeira, was one of six regions in Brazil that were considered by UNESCO to be natural World Heritage Sites . There are 24 conservation units in the region, containing rare species such as cedar, palmito, cinnamon, araucaria and caxeta, and many types of bromeliad and orchid. Preserved areas are found outside

561-444: The cave to the other. All this area has a sound system and lighting, walkways, stairs and handrails for safety measures. The cave contains numerous stone curtains, columns, towers, travertine , stalactites , stalagmites and calcite cascades which intrigue specialists and tourists who try to unravel the mysteries of the place. At times, to overcome obstacles, it is necessary to use ropes to be sure of standing on safe ground. Inside

594-487: The cave, the silence is broken only by the waters that glide over the rocks. The most interesting formations can be seen in the hall known as "The Cathedral". Some of these forms were immortalized with names somewhat strange like the Guardian, Snow White, Cemetery, Three Kings, Temple of Doom, Devil's Cauldron and Tower of Pisa. Each group of tourists is formed of 12 visitors, at intervals of 20 minutes between them, and each one

627-651: The coastal portion. There are about 80 caiçaras communities along the 140 kilometres (87 mi) Iguape-Cananéia-Paranaguá estuary lagoon complex, mainly engaged in sustainable subsistence artisanal fishing or collection of crustaceans. There are ten Guarani villages, with families from the Mbyá and Ñandeva subgroups. They practice subsistence agriculture and sustainable hunting and fishing. They have been forced to move more than once when state or national parks were established on their traditional lands. Agroforestry, producing and selling seedlings of native Atlantic Forest species,

660-641: The conservation units in indigenous territories , quilombos and rural districts whose inhabitants practice small-scale subsistence agriculture. Endangered species include the southern muriqui ( Brachyteles arachnoides ), jaguar ( Panthera onca ), ocelot ( Leopardus pardalis ), Pampas deer ( Ozotoceros bezoarticus ), black-fronted piping guan ( Pipile jacutinga ), broad-snouted caiman ( Caiman latirostris ) and red-tailed amazon ( Amazona brasiliensis ). Endemic species include saw-billed hermit ( Ramphodon naevius ), Guiana dolphin ( Sotalia guianensis ), yellow-legged tinamou ( Crypturellus noctivagus ) and

693-591: The extent of human disturbances, including habitat destruction , in the Atlantic Forest has led to an extinction crisis. The endemic species in this region are especially vulnerable to extinction due to fragmentation because of their small geographic ranges and low occurrence. In a study of the Atlantic Forest fragments, community level biomass was reduced to 60% in plots less than 25 hectares. Key ecological processes such as seed dispersal , gene flow , colonization and other processes are disturbed by fragmentation. With many key vertebrate seed dispersers going extinct, it

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726-646: The forest actually survived in moist pockets well away from the coastline where its endemic rainforest species mixed with much cooler-climate species. Unlike refugia for equatorial rainforests, the refuges for the Atlantic Forest have never been the product of detailed identification. Despite having only 28% of native vegetation cover remaining, the Atlantic Forest remains extraordinarily lush in biodiversity and endemic species , many of which are threatened with extinction . Approximately 40 percent of its vascular plants and up to 60 percent of its vertebrates are endemic species, meaning they are found nowhere else in

759-494: The formation of the cave is pointed out by researchers as occurred about 600 million years ago, during the Precambrian era. Today almost 10 km of galleries and halls have already been mapped, all rich in speleothems . Of the 6.237 meters of the cave whose entrance measures approximately 40 meters high, 3.200 meters have already been surveyed, of which only 700 meters are free for tourists. It measures 152 deep from one side of

792-592: The fragmentation affecting these species, many groups and organizations are working to restore this unique ecosystem . Non-governmental organizations (NGO) are huge benefactors in Brazil, providing funding as well as professional help to the Atlantic Forest due to the Brazilian Environmental Movement . One organization, called BirdLife International , uses its research to preserve the area's bird biodiversity and teach people about sustainable natural resource use. Some organizations receive grants from

825-786: The original ecosystem restored by 2050. The Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul keeps a private reserve of the Araucaria moist forest ecoregion of approximately 3.100 ha called Pró-Mata , near the city of São Francisco de Paula in the state of Rio Grande do Sul . This reserve is used for research and biodiversity conservation. Terrestrial ecoregions within the Atlantic Forest Biome include: 16°30′S 39°15′W  /  16.500°S 39.250°W  / -16.500; -39.250 Caverna do Diabo Caverna da Tapagem ( English : Hurdle's Cave ) (SP-002), also Caverna do Diabo ( English : Devil's Cave ),

858-462: The region covers 18,112.80 square kilometres (6,993.39 sq mi) and contains 23 municipalities. The total population is 443,325 inhabitants, of which 114,995 live in rural areas. There are 33 quilombola communities and 13 indigenous territories. The municipalities that make up the region in São Paulo are: In Paraná the region covers an area of 6,079.30 square kilometres (2,347.23 sq mi) and contains 7 municipalities. The total population

891-673: The result of human activity in the past 400 years. Over 11,000 species of plants and animals are considered threatened today in the Atlantic Forest. Over 52% of the tree species and 92% of the amphibians are endemic to this area. The forest harbors around 20,000 species of plants, with almost 450 tree species being found in just one hectare in some locations. The Atlantic Forest is one of the best studied tropical ecosystems. For example, over 3000 tree species, 98 bat species, 94 large or medium-sized mammal species, over 2000 epiphyte species, 26 primate species, 528 amphibian species, 124 small mammal species, and over 800 bird species have been recorded in

924-428: The size of the Atlantic Forest, which has resulted in species impoverishment. Almost 88% of the original forest habitat has been lost and replaced by human-modified landscapes including pastures , croplands , and urban areas . This deforestation continues at an annual rate of 0.5% and up to 2.9% in urban areas. Habitat fragmentation leads to a cascade of alterations of the original forest landscape. For example,

957-499: The south and inland as far as Paraguay and the Misiones Province of Argentina , where the region is known as Selva Misionera . The Atlantic Forest has ecoregions within the following biome categories: seasonal moist and dry broad-leaf tropical forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands , and mangrove forests . The Atlantic Forest is characterized by a high biodiversity and endemism . It

990-443: The world. The official threatened species list of Brazil contains over 140 terrestrial mammal species found in Atlantic Forest. In Paraguay the Atlantic Forest has been heavily impacted in recent years. In Paraguay there are 35 species listed as threatened, and 22 species are listed as threatened in the interior portion of the Atlantic Forest of Argentina. Nearly 250 species of amphibians , birds, and mammals have become extinct due to

1023-488: Was discovered in northeastern Brazil at the Pernambuco Endemism Center in 2006. A species of endangered three-toed sloth, named the maned sloth ( Bradypus torquatus ) because of its long hair, is endemic to the Atlantic Forest. Hylid tree frog Dendropsophus branneri is also endemic to the Atlantic Forest. The incorporation of modern human societies and their needs for forest resources has greatly reduced

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1056-492: Was reviewed in 2018. The Atlantic Forest mainly covers regions of eastern Brazil (92% of the total area), but also reaches eastern Paraguay (6%) and northeastern Argentina (2%). During glacial periods in the Pleistocene , the Atlantic Forest is known to have shrunk to extremely small fragmented refugia in highly sheltered gullies, being separated by areas of dry forest or semi-deserts known as caatingas. Some maps even suggest

1089-655: Was the first environment that the Portuguese colonists encountered over 500 years ago, when it was thought to have had an area of 1,000,000–1,500,000 km (390,000–580,000 sq mi), and stretching an unknown distance inland, making it, back then, the second largest rainforest on the planet, only behind the Amazon rainforest . Over 85% of the original area has been deforested , threatening many plant and animal species with extinction . The Atlantic Forest region includes forests of several variations: The Atlantic Forest

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