Serra do Mar coastal forests

Serra do Mar coastal forests
Forest in Serra do Mar, Paraná, Brazil.
240px Serra do Mar coastal forests localization as delineated by WWF.
Ecology
Biome	Atlantic Forest
Borders	Araucaria moist forests Atlantic Ocean Cerrado Alto Paraná Atlantic forests Bahia coastal forests
Bird species	628
Mammal species	175
Geography
Area	104,800 km2 (40,500 sq mi)
Country	Brazil
States	São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul
Conservation
Habitat loss	70.0%
Protected	51.0%

The Serra do Mar coastal forests is an ecoregion of the tropical moist forests Biome, and of the South American Atlantic Forest biome.

Geography

The Serra do Mar mountain range defines this ecoregion. The Serra do Mar coastal forests are located in the Serra do Mar, along the southern coast of Brazil for about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi).

The ecoregion lies within the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul.

Natural history

The climate is subtropical with high levels of annual rainfall.

The montane tropical moist forests habitats are vegetated with species of Bromeliaceae, Myrtaceae, Melastomataceae, and Lauraceae. This region contains outstanding biodiversity in endemism and species richness of flora, mammal, bird, and herpetofauna.

Conservation

70% of the original forest has already been altered by settlement and agriculture. 51% is currently in protected areas.

The primary ongoing threats to this ecoregion are urban development and tourism infrastructure.

Satellite picture of Serra do Mar coastal forests ecoregion (within yellow line).
The deforestation (tan areas) of the ecoregion is visible.

Golden lion tamarin, an endemic species of the Serra do Mar coastal forests, in Rio de Janeiro.

Specifications

• Biome: Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
• Realm: Neotropical
• WWF ID: NT0160
• Size: 104,800 square kilometers

See also

• List of plants of Atlantic Forest vegetation of Brazil — flora of its diverse ecoregions.
• Ecoregions in the Atlantic Forest biome
• List of ecoregions in Brazil