Atlantic Rainforest

Brazil Travel / Ecotourism - Brazil is the leading of the megadiverse countries and houses the greatest flora diversity on Earth. From a worldwide, approximately known 270.000 plant species, between 40 and 50.000 are located in Brazil.

The flora of the Atlantic Rainforest is particularly rich. With more than 20.000 plant species (8.000 endemic), this biome is listed among the first 5 biodiversity hotspots on Earth.

Its biodiversity density is particularly impressive. A biomap of the University of Bonn from 1999 indicates more than 5.000 vascular plant species in an area of 10.000 sqkm of tropical rainforest in Southeast Brazil.

According to UNESCO, more than 450 woody plant species per hectare can be found in some spots of Mata Atlântica in the Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves World Heritage Site (more than in the Amazon Rainforest).

Some of the best databases regarding Brazil's flora is the digitized form of Flora Brasiliensis and the Virtual Herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden.

See also: Fauna of Brazil