South Atlantic Region

Four national governments have a role in the region: Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, as well as the offshore Falkland Islands (Malvinas) administered by the United Kingdom. Four Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) have been identified here: the North Brazil Shelf, East Brazil Shelf, South Brazil Shelf and the Patagonian Shelf.

Coral reefs are found in the tropical areas of Brazil, including offshore islands.Main reef systems extend from Rocas Atoll (Rio Grande do Norte State) along NE Brazil down to the coast of Espirito Santo State. Special coral reef systems are found in Abrolhos archipelago (Bahia State) with a high number of endemic species. Extensive mangroves areas occur in the Amazon River mouth in the north of Brazil.

Well-developed communities are found from the northern boundary of the region untill the border between Maranhão and Piauí States (around 2o30'S). In the east, substantial mangrove areas are found in the coast of Bahia State and extend south, though in less dense formations, to Santa Catarina State. From there to the south, salt marshes are prevalent, extending to Uruguay and Argentina. The largest tidal marshes in Uruguay occur along the banks of the Santa Lucia river, and in Argentina along the muddy shores of Samborondón Bay and in the surroundings of Bahía Blanca, the Rio Colorado delta and San Blas Bay at the southern margin of the Pampas region.

The more developed beaches are found on the coast of Brazil. In the Southeast, specially along Rio de Janeiro and S.Paulo States, a high variety of beaches are intermediated with important rocky coast formations, due to the nearness of Serra do Mar - an important mountain chain with highly significant rainforest formations. A high number of islands is also found in this area, some of them also in the EEZ. An important dune formation called Lençois Maranhenses is found in northeastern Brazil, between 02º19’—02º45’ S and 42º44’—43º29’ W, protected in a National Park of about 155.000 hectares. Other important dune formations occur in south Brazil and east Uruguay. An extended underwater mountain chain called Vitoria-Trindade Submarine Banks lay longitudinally on a right angle from Espirito Santo coast in Brazil, about 1020m long, comprising 9 aligned flat-top banks with depths varying from 34m to 76m, between the isobaths 100m and 4000m. Kelp beds are found off the shelf of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego in Argentina. Upwellings occur mainly along the edge of the continental shelf of Argentina.

The region shows a huge biodiversity, with more than 50 cetacean species, 5 species of marine turtles, and a high variety of seabirds, fishes and benthic species. Main threats in this region include the unmanaged tourism and development of the coastal zones and oil and gas exploitation in offshore areas.