The Protected Landscape Approach - Centre for Mediterranean ...

12. Protecting landscapes and seascapes: experience from coastal regions of Brazil
Map 1.
Mata Atlantica Biosphere Reserve
reserve has reached the scale of the entire biome, involving 15 of the 17 Brazilian states where
parts of this biome are found, and covering an area of 350,000km 2 .
The Mata Atlantica, or Atlantic Forest, which is the biome in which Brazil’s most urbanized
and industrialized areas are located, has been reduced to nearly 7% of its original forest cover; 2
moreover, what is left is fragmented and threatened by total destruction in certain areas,
although it is one of the most important tropical rainforests of the planet.
In the Mata Atlantica, one finds great biodiversity and other aspects of special scientific and
social interest, as well as scenery of overwhelming beauty and numerous cultural and tourist
attractions. This forest provides protection for the soil and water resources, and prevents the
erosion of hillsides; it regulates the climate and contributes to the reduction of the greenhouse
effect through the binding of atmospheric carbon dioxide. It also provides sustainable eco-
2
According to the most recent report from SOS Mata Atlantic, an important NGO in the region, only 7%
of the Atlantic Forest remains today, which indicates that the deforestation continues.
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