Brazilian pines in the Atlantic Forest for Brazil's Independence Day

An historic forest

When explorers from Portugal landed on the shores of what is now Brazil, the Atlantic Forest, seen here, is what greeted them. At the start of the 16th century, the forest the Portuguese called Mata Atlântica, is estimated to have been nearly 1 million square kilometres, possibly as much as 1.5 million square kilometres. As Brazil celebrates its independence today, the Atlantic Forest is in peril, as 85 percent of it has been destroyed to make room for agriculture and development.