# Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic

The Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic (Portuguese: Mosaico da Mata Atlântica Central Fluminense) is a protected area mosaic in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The mosaic is inland, to the east of the city of Rio de Janeiro.

## History

A project to create three new protected area mosaics in the Serra do Mar Ecological Corridor began in December 2005, coordinated by the National Council of the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve. These were the Bocaina Mosaic, Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic and Mantiqueira Mosaic. Funding was provided by Conservation International, the Fund for the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank. The Central Coastal Atlantic Forest Mosaic was recognized by the Ministry of the Environment on 11 December 2006. There were originally 22 conservation units in the mosaic. Others were added, and as of 2010 there were 29 units, with a total area of 295,723 hectares (730,750 acres). The strategic plan was developed in 2010.

## Extent

The Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic encompasses 14 municipalities: Bom Jardim, Cachoeiras de Macacu, Casimiro de Abreu, Duque de Caxias, Guapimirim, Itaboraí, Macaé, Magé, Miguel Pereira, Nova Friburgo, Nova Iguaçu, Petrópolis, Rio Bonito, São Gonçalo, São José do Vale do Rio Preto, Silva Jardim, Teresópolis and Tanguá.

## Environment

Altitudes range from sea level at the Guanabara Bay to 2,316 metres (7,598 ft) in the Três Picos State Park, with different degrees of human occupation, resulting in great diversity of environments and landscapes. The land in the lower regions was formed by sediments deposited by the rivers and the sea. In the coastal areas there are several meandering rivers that deposit fine sediment carried from the mountains, creating an ideal environment for the growth of mangroves, which are concentrated in the Guapimirim Environmental Protection Area and the Guanabara Ecological Station. Further from the shore there are patches of dense alluvial rainforest. Further back again this starts to merge into dense lowland and sub-montane rainforest in the Bacia do Rio Macacu, Guapi-Guapiaçu and Suruí environmental protection areas.
Further inland, as the land rises, there are fragments of dense montane forest, dense high montane forest and alpine meadows. To the north of the mosaic there are patches of submontane and montane seasonal forest. Originally the most common form of vegetation in the mosaic was dense lowland rainforest, followed by dense submontane and montane rainforest. The semideciduous montane forest and alpine meadows were the least common. The native vegetation has been subject to exploitation and destruction for several centuries. Today there are 511 fragments of forest and mangroves, with an area of 177,557 hectares (438,750 acres).

## Conservation units

Conservation units in the mosaic include:
| Unit | Type | Area (ha) | Level | Municipalities | Created |
| Araponga | Municipal nature park | 1,376 | Municipal | São José do Vale do Rio Preto | 2006 |
| Araras | Biological reserve | 3,862 | State | Petrópolis | 1977 |
| Bacia do Rio Macacu | Environmental protection area | 19,508 | State | Cachoeiras de Macacu, Guapimirim, Itaboraí, Magé | 2002 |
| Bacia dos Frades | Environmental protection area | 7,500 | State | Teresópolis | 1990 |
| CEC-Tinguá | Private natural heritage reserve | 16 | Federal | Tinguá | 2003 |
| El Nagal | Private natural heritage reserve | 17 | Federal | Magé | |
| Fazenda Suspiro | Private natural heritage reserve | 18 | Federal | Teresópolis | 1999 |
| Floresta do Jacarandá | Environmental protection area | 2,700 | State | Teresópolis | 1985 |
| Graziela Maciel Barroso | Private natural heritage reserve | 184 | Federal | Petrópolis | 2005 |
| Guanabara | Ecological station | 1,935 | Federal | Guapimirim, São Gonçalo | 2006 |
| Guapi-Guapiaçú | Environmental protection area | 15,538 | Municipal | Guapimirim | 2004 |
| Guapimirim | Environmental protection area | 13,825 | Federal | Guapimirim, Itaboraí, Magé, São Gonçalo | 1984 |
| Macaé de Cima | Environmental protection area | 35,037 | State | Nova Friburgo, Silva Jardim | 2001 |
| Maravilha | Environmental protection area | 1,700 | Municipal | São José do Vale do Rio Preto | 2006 |
| Montanhas de Teresópolis | Municipal nature park | 4,397 | Municipal | Teresópolis | 2009 |
| Montes das Flores | Ecological station | 212 | Municipal | São José do Vale do Rio Preto | |
| Paraíso | Ecological station | 4,920 | State | Guapimirim, Cachoeiras de Macacu | 1987 |
| Pedra das Flores | Natural monument | 346 | Municipal | São José do Vale do Rio Preto | 2005 |
| Pedra do Elefante | Natural monument | 530 | Municipal | Petrópolis | 2010 |
| Petrópolis | Environmental protection area | 59,618 | Federal | Petrópolis, Magé, Duque de Caxias, Guapimirim | 1992 |
| Petrópolis | Municipal nature park | 17 | Municipal | Petrópolis | 2002 |
| Querência | Private natural heritage reserve | 5 | Federal | Magé | 1999 |
| Jaceruba | Environmental protection area | 247 | Municipal | Nova Iguaçu | 2002 |
| Serra do Barbosão | Municipal nature park | 878 | Municipal | Tanguá | 2007 |
| Serra dos Órgãos | National park | 20,024 | Federal | Petrópolis, Guapimirim, Magé, Teresópolis, São Gonçalo | 1939 |
| Suruí | Environmental protection area | 14,146 | Municipal | Magé | 2007 |
| Taquara | Municipal nature park | 19 | Municipal | Duque de Caxias | 1992 |
| Tinguá | Biological reserve | 26,136 | Federal | Miguel Pereira, Petrópolis, Nova Iguaçu, Duque de Caxias | 1989 |
| Três Picos | State park | 58,800 | State | Cachoeiras de Macacu, Teresópolis, Nova Friburgo, Silva Jardim, Guapimirim | 2002 |