Coastal Rio De Janeiro Forest Area Called a State Park, Parque Estadual Da Pedra Branca

Coastal Rio De Janeiro Forest Area Called a State Park, Parque Estadual Da Pedra Branca - Physical and Geography (Conservation Consultant Report)
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Background
The targeted region of Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca/ Pedra Branca State Park, (White Stone State Park) is within the Atlantic coastal region of Brazil. There has been biodiversity loss in the region, conservation activities are necessary to restore the former forested regions of the conservation unit. The case for such efforts is that protecting the habitats on a large-scale ensures sustainability in the long-term while slowing down the damage to the environment caused by human activities. The protected areas are large enough to support continued biodiversity and a viable ecosystem, but there still remains forest remnants that are fragmented and at risk of being destroyed because of human activities.
Physical boundaries of the area covered by the report
The Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca (PEPB) is located within the boundaries 23°52' 23°04'S 43°23' 43°32'W in the city of Rio de Janeiro (Dias, 2002). The park is an urban forest on the West zone side of the city. The park is one of the few tropical forests that stretch to the Atlantic Forests, but human activities have affected the biome of the forest and surrounding areas. One of the challenges to conserving the forest is that the administrators have failed to support efforts to protect the forest cover in the region. A map of the region will be utilized to identify the park and provide a view to integrate data on the forest fragments that are still present. Even though, the Pedra Branca area includes an urban sprawl, there is increased regeneration of forests and the surrounding fields. This has been crucial since the State Park was created in 1974 to protect the environment, and the Pedra Branca region comprises 17 districts (INEA, 2016).
Forest types and soil types
The vegetation and forest cover of the region has changed considerably because of human activities. Even though, forest fires that have affected the coverage, the forest remnants need to be preserved. As an urban forest, it has been crucial to protecting the biome in an area where only remnants of the forests exist. Even as only a small portion of the original Atlantic forests remain, the diverse ecosystems are crucial to the global biodiversity (Panda.org, n.d.). However, the Atlantic forest covers still plays an important role in the ecology of the region. For instance, there are diverse species of the fig tree found on the forest, as well as various vegetation found in the floors of the forests. One of the most common trees is the Jucara palm found in the Rio de Janeiro region and plays a crucial role in the food supply in the region. Nowadays there are other species of the palm tree that have replaced the older indigenous type. Other than the palm trees are the leafy trees that include the Guapuruvu and Jequitibá.
The dense montane Ombrophilous forest is unique to the Coastal Rio de Janeiro region including the Pedra Branca State Park (Tutorial 1, 2016). The Lower montane forests have trees ranging from 15-33 m while the upper montane forests have a height of 3-18 ...