Even reduced, the Atlantic Forest has enormous social and environmental importance. For about 112 million inhabitants (70% of the Brazilian population) who live in its domain, it regulates the flow of water sources, ensures soil fertility, controls the climate and protects cliffs and mountain slopes, in addition to preserving a natural heritage. and immensely cultural.

In the Atlantic Forest, several rivers are born that supply Brazilian cities and metropolises, and this is one of the factors that has contributed to the problems of water scarcity, mainly associated with waste, misuse of water, deforestation and pollution. The Atlantic Forest is considered a National Heritage by the Federal Constitution (Art. 225). There are numerous publications, both national and international, that endorse its importance and the need for its protection. It is a Brazilian biome threatened with extinction and is among the most important and threatened in the world.

Brazil is considered one of the twelve countries endowed with the so-called megadiversity, and is a signatory to the Convention on Biodiversity. In this context, the Atlantic Forest is considered one of the largest repositories of biodiversity on the planet and holds the record for endemic woody plants (angiosperms), in addition to records for the number of species and endemism in several other groups of plants.

With regard to wild fauna, according to data from the Ministry of the Environment, the Atlantic Forest is home to about 250 species of mammals (55 of them endemic), 340 amphibians (87 endemic), 197 of reptiles (60 endemic), 1,023 of birds (188 endemic), in addition to approximately 350 species of fish (113 endemic). Not to mention insects and other invertebrates and species that have not yet been discovered by science.

The Atlantic Forest is currently home to 383 of the 633 animals threatened with extinction in Brazil, according to the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA). The biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest is similar to that of the Amazon. Lion tamarin, jaguar, sloth, capybara are some of the best known animals that live in the Atlantic Forest.

The fauna of the Atlantic Forest is protected by the Constitution, in accordance with Law 5,197/67 and also by the Environmental Crimes Law (9,605/98). Global initiatives with regional and local developments, such as agenda 21, are also a support instrument for the protection of fauna. But all these elements depend on the political will of the government, the awareness, mobilization and participation of citizens and the dissemination of the concept of sustainability in economic activities.