The Atlantic Forest has been designated by UNESCO as one of the Earth's five most important biodiversity "hotspots" and its largest Biosphere Reserve, making it one of the world's regions with the highest priority for conservation. Centuries ago, this forest covered an area of more than 130 million hectares along the eastern coast of Brazil and extended in to the north of Argentina and the east of Paraguay. Nowadays, within Brazil, a mere 7% of the Atlantic Forest remains in a good state of conservation, spread over isolated fragments comprising little more than 1,000 hectares each. The last remnants of this exuberant forest contain a wealth of biological diversity that is comparable to that of the more famous Amazon region. Where it has survived, the Atlantic Forest provides one of the most spectacular landscapes on Earth, such as that of the beautiful coastline of Rio de Janeiro.

Clearing of the Atlantic Forest began in the 16th and 17th centuries, when valuable hardwoods, ideal for shipbuilding and furniture making, were shipped off to Europe. However, the greatest destruction has occurred within the last 100 years. Even today, areas of forest are still being cleared away to plant soya, sugarcane, pines and eucalyptus, as well as for livestock farming and the illegal trade in wood. .

Urban expansion and coastal development have transformed the vast of forest into the most industrialized and densely inhabited region in all of Latin America. In Brazil alone, 70% of the country's population - more than 130 million people - live within the Atlantic Forest domain. Preserving what remains of the Atlantic Forest is a global conservation priority and an urgent challenge. .