Alagoas, Brazil Photograph by WWF/ Regis Pinto   Eastern South America: Northern Brazil Mangroves   1,000 square miles (2,600 square kilometers) -- about the size of Rhode Island Critical/Endangered

· Magical Mangroves
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Magical Mangroves

Narrow fringes of mangroves line the shores along the mouth and inner bays of the Rio São Francisco. The forests along this region of the north central coast of Brazil are sparser than in the Bahia farther south because less rainfall reaches this semi-arid ecosystem. Inland, the sedimentary Barreiras rock formations mark the western edge of the mangrove forest.

Special Features

Mangrove trees have specially adapted salt-filtering roots and salt-excreting leaves that enable them to live in the saline wetlands where other plant life cannot survive. Amid the gnarled branches of these trees, birds such as bicolored conebills and American oystercatchers find space to nest. And among the mass of exposed mangrove roots, a great diversity of species finds essential habitat.

	If you were to walk through the thick, black mud along the river shores, you might notice the smell of rotten eggs. This is caused as your footsteps release sulfuric gases that are produced by the decomposition of organic material trapped beneath the surface.

Wild Side

Loggerhead, green, leatherback, and other sea turtles swim through the murky waters of the mouth of the Rio São Francisco. Nearby, diffused light on the water’s surface reveals crabs, mollusks, and fish. These mangroves support several species of fish, which rely on these habitats as nurseries for their young--these, in turn, serve as food for wading and water birds. The black-bellied, lesser golden, collared, and Wilson plovers, along with black-browed albatrosses and short-billed dowitchers, are just a few of the coastal migrants that depend on these mangroves. On the shore, endangered scarlet ibises stand in the mud and probe their long, curved beaks into the sediment in search of crustaceans--the food that gives the birds their vivid coloring.

Cause for Concern

Mangroves provide wood for fishing gear and housing, and their bark contains tannins that are used to preserve fishing nets. Excessive cutting down of the trees leads to habitat destruction and an increased sediment flow to coral reefs offshore. Extensive areas along the river have been converted to salt production, but this is now prohibited, and companies are required to replant the mangroves. Mangroves are also affected by cattle grazing, mining, and agriculture.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.