| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
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 Map of the Serra do Mar as delineated by theWorld Wide Fund for Nature | |
| Location | Rio De Janeiro,São Paulo,Paraná,Santa Catarina,Rio Grande do Sul,Minas Gerais,Espírito Santo,Brazil |
| Criteria | Natural: (vii)(ix)(x) |
| Reference | 893rev |
| Inscription | 1999 (23rdSession) |
| Area | 468,193 ha (1,807.70 sq mi) |
| Buffer zone | 1,223,557 ha (4,724.18 sq mi) |
| Coordinates | 24°10′S48°0′W / 24.167°S 48.000°W /-24.167; -48.000 |
TheSerra do Mar (Portuguese:[ˈsɛʁɐduˈmaʁ];Portuguese for 'Sea Ridge') is a 1,500 km (930 mi) long system ofmountain ranges andescarpments inSoutheastern Brazil.
The Serra do Mar runs parallel to theAtlantic Ocean coast from the state ofEspírito Santo to southernSanta Catarina,[1] although some literature includes theSerra Geral in the Serra do Mar, in which case the range would extend to northeasternRio Grande do Sul.
The main escarpment forms the boundary between the sea-levellittoral and the inlandplateau (planalto), which has a mean altitude of 500 to 1,300 metres (1,600 to 4,300 ft). This escarpment is part of theGreat Escarpment that runs along much of the eastern coast of Brazil south from the city ofSalvador, Bahia.
The mountain ranges are discontinuous in several places and are given individual names such asSerra de Bocaina, Serra de Paranapiacaba,Serra Negra,Serra dos Órgãos, Serra do Indaiá, etc. The range also extends to some large islands near the coastline, such asIlhabela and Ilha Anchieta. With an altitude of 2,255 metres (7,398 ft), Pico da Caledônia inNova Friburgo is among the highest points in Serra do Mar.
Geologically, the range belongs to the massivecrystalline rock platform that forms EasternSouth America, andtectonically it is very stable. Most of the elevations of Serra do Mar were formed about 60 million years ago.
At the time of the European discovery of Brazil (1500), the Serra do Mar supported a rich and highly diversified ecosystem, composed mainly of lush tropicalrain forest, calledAtlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica). Due tourbanization anddeforestation, however, most of the forest cover has been destroyed and what little cover remains is almost exclusively on the steep escarpments facing the sea.
A chain of national andstate parks,ecological stations andbiological reserves now protect the Mata Atlântica and its biological heritage, butacid rain,pollution,poachers, clandestineloggers,forest fires and encroachment by urban areas and farms are still causing active destruction, particularly in the areas around cities. Several large metropolises, such asVale do Itajaí,Curitiba,São Paulo andRio de Janeiro are near theSerra do Mar.
Reforestation and recuperation of biological diversity are notoriously difficult to bring about in destroyed rainforest habitats.
World Heritage Sites in Brazil | ||
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| Northeast Region |
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| Central-West Region |
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| Southeast Region |
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| South Region | ||
| International | |
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| Other | |
26°00′23″S48°57′38″W / 26.00639°S 48.96056°W /-26.00639; -48.96056
