The Mata Atlântica is a jungle belt which ranges over wide stretches of the Brazilian coastline.
The biodiversity (fauna and flora) in this Atlantic jungle is larger than in the Amazon jungle. The biodiversity is even the largest one worldwide, even though only incoherent remains do exist.
The area is far more endangered and strained than the area in the Amazon basin. This is because the Brazilian mega cities Rio de Janeiro, Salvador de Bahia and Sao Paulo are situated in the middle of the Atlantic rain forest. That is why there is not much left of this paradise that once covered 15 % of the Brazilian territory. In total it was 1,290,000 km², ca. 8 % are only left by now).
Despite of these facts the Brazilian government does hardly do anything in order to protect the Atlantic rain forest.
