"Project
undertaken with the financial support of the
Government of Canada provided through the
Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA)"
The
Atlantic Forest of south-east Brazil, north-east
Argentina and eastern Paraguay is one of the
most threatened yet biologically diverse ecosystems
in the world.
Once covering approximately 1.7
million square kilometres, only 7.4 per cent
now remains, mostly as scattered fragments.
As a result of the extreme loss of habitat,
the majority of the Atlantic Forest fauna and
flora is in danger of extinction. Of the 181
endemic bird species, 60 are considered as globally
threatened, and a similar number as near threatened.
The combination of an exceptional concentration
of endemic species with the exceptional loss
of habitat has resulted in the recognition of
the Atlantic Forest as one of the top five "hotspots" for
biodiversity conservation in the world. In Paraguay,
some 8 per cent
of the original cover still remains, despite
one of the highest national deforestation rates
of any Latin American country (primarily the
result of agricultural expansion).
As a result,
some of the best opportunities to conserve representative
tracts of the Interior Atlantic Forest now lie
in Paraguay. However, there is an urgent need
for action: the high deforestation rate means
that the remaining forests are rapidly disappearing.
For more information, please contact:
Mara Kerry at mkerry@naturecanada.ca
or 1-800-267-4088.
