Brazil's Atlantic Forest, a flower's last stand

Mark W. Moffett

National Geographic Magazine

The band of forest that once ended along the southern coast of Brazil is now one of the most endangered ecosystems on earth, largely because of extreme population pressure. I was able to track down specimens in the wild for a dozen species of plants and animals at the verge of extinction, that is, with populations of between sixty and two thousand. Some (such as the porcupine & frogs) were never before photographed. Frogs were emphasized as an example of biodiversity. <p> On a remote mountain slope near Rio lives the last remaining population of a primitive amaryllis. The area burned shortly after this photograph was taken, jeopardizing the species.

Mark W. Moffett, "Brazil's Atlantic Forest, a flower's last stand," in POYi Archive, Item #33661, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/33661 (accessed November 23, 2024).