Atlantic Forest: 24% of endangered species – 05/24/2023 – Environment

The Atlantic Forest stands out for its high proportion and the greater number of endangered plant and animal species compared to other biomes.

The conclusion is from a survey released this Wednesday (24) by the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).

Of a total of 11,800 species assessed by the survey in the Atlantic Forest, 24.1% were threatened with extinction in 2022. The percentage is equivalent to 2,845 species at risk. The calculation considers fauna and flora together.

Both the proportion (24.1%) and the absolute number (2,845) surpass the results of the other six biomes that appear in the survey, baptized as Ecosystem Accounts: Species threatened with extinction in Brazil.

The survey compares data from 2022 with those from the previous edition, referring to 2014. In that year, of a total of 9,042 species assessed in the Atlantic Forest, 22.3% (2016) were threatened with extinction.

“Among the biomes, the Atlantic Forest maintained the highest number of evaluated species (11,811), the highest number of endangered species (2,845) and the highest number of extinct species, which rose from 7 to 8, with the inclusion of the frog -bell gladiator (Boana cymbalum)”, said the IBGE.

For Leonardo Bergamini, research coordinator at the institute, the result can be partly associated with the history of occupation of the Atlantic Forest.

“Deforestation culminates in the threat to species. It is to be expected that it is the biome most threatened by this impact”, he says.

The researcher also associates the numbers with greater knowledge about the characteristics of the Atlantic Forest and its species.

“The Atlantic Forest is the biome where the main research centers in the country are located, with the greatest research history. This is also why we know the species of the Atlantic Forest better. There is more research on it”, he evaluates.

Bergamini also states that the biome has “a great diversity of physiognomy and relief”. “There are many species of restricted distribution in the Atlantic Forest, which are more vulnerable to these impacts”, he adds.

According to IBGE, the Cerrado had the second highest absolute number and the second highest percentage of threatened species in 2022.

In this biome, 1,199 species were at risk. The data is equivalent to 16.2% of a total of 7,385 plants and animals evaluated.

In absolute numbers, the Amazon appears in third place on the list. In 2022, the biome had 503 threatened species. The data represents 6% of a total of 8,346 evaluated in the biome.

In the proportional cut, it is the caatinga that appears in third place. In 2022, almost 15% of the assessed species were threatened – the equivalent of 481 out of a total of 3,220.

The Pantanal, in turn, is the biome with the smallest absolute number (74) and the lowest percentage of species at risk (4.1% of a total 1,826 under analysis).

According to the IBGE, 50,300 species of plants and almost 125,300 animals are currently recognized in Brazil.

Within this universe, the numbers evaluated by the institute increased from 2014 to 2022. In the case of flora, the proportion under analysis increased from 9% (4,304) to 15% (7,517). In fauna, it went from 10% (12 thousand) to 11% (13.9 thousand).

Number at risk rises, but proportion falls

In absolute terms, the total number of endangered plant species grew by around 57.3% from 2014 to 2022 (from 2,039 to 3,207). In the case of animals, the high was smaller, 7% (from 1,171 to 1,253).

The proportion of endangered species, however, showed a drop in both flora (from 47.4% to 42.7%) and fauna (from 9.8% to 9%). IBGE pondered that part of this proportional reduction can be explained by the increase in the number of species evaluated until 2022.

According to the study’s methodology, a species is threatened when it is in any of the following situations: critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable. The IBGE cited examples that fall into these categories in different biomes. See the list below.

Fauna

Common name	Situation
Guara wolf	Vulnerable
hawksbill turtle	In danger
Guiana dolphin	Vulnerable
jacu de alagoas	Critically Endangered
plateau turtledove	Critically Endangered
Color-bellied Frog	Critically Endangered
whitewater frog	In danger
Murucututu	Critically Endangered
Alcatrazes Jararaca	Critically Endangered
harpy eagle	Vulnerable
red-footed booby	In danger

Flora

Common name	Situation
monkey comb	critically endangered
pitch without smell	In danger
umbu-cajá	In danger
Jaborandi	In danger
Cinnamon	critically endangered
Brasiliana	critically endangered
Tie	critically endangered
brazilwood	In danger
Lelia	critically endangered
Princess’ earring	Vulnerable
Heart of Palm – Juçara	Vulnerable
Araucaria	In danger
ironwood	In danger
Laban	In danger