When explorers from Portugal landed on the shores of what is now Brazil in 1500, the Atlantic Forest, seen here, is what greeted them. Before colonization, the forest the Portuguese called ‘Mata Atlântica’ is estimated to have covered nearly 400,000 square miles, and possibly as many as 600,000. As Brazil celebrates its independence today, the Atlantic Forest is in peril--85 percent of it has been destroyed to make room for agriculture and development.
An historic forest
Today in History
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Venture into a prehistoric gallery of art
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Take the stairs
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Salmon return to the Copper River
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Rocks on the move
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Zelenci Nature Reserve, Slovenia
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Fox kits
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Atlantic puffin, Iceland
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Veterans Day
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Happy Thanksgiving from an expert face-stuffer
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International Sloth Day
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International Day for Biodiversity
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Teacher Appreciation Day
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Happy 50th for the National Trails System!
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Homeward bound
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Wicker fields in Cañamares, Spain
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Fall comes to the Last Frontier
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Maritime forest on Cumberland Island, Georgia
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A hint of spring
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Beaver achievers
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It s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
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Islands that turned the tide
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World Laughter Day
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These patterns tell a story
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A big birthday for Big Bend
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Kinder Scout, Peak District National Park, England
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Celebrating National Dentist Day
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Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel and the Louvre Pyramid
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Chocolate Hills
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A ‘circus of chaos’ for Stravinsky
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Sutherland Falls in Fiordland National Park