The Atlantic Rainforest is regarded as one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet. Over 900 bird species and 500 amphibian species occur here, a large number of which are native species. There are no fewer than 180 endemic bird species, and 90% of the amphibian species found in this biome can be found nowhere else.

The Atlantic Rainforest also hosts 260 mammal species, including the Golden Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia), the Northern Muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus), and the Southern Muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoids).

The Atlantic Rainforest has an amazing variety of habitats, from montane forests to Araucaria forests, and from sandbank forests to mangroves. This biome accounts for 8% of the world's plant species, and features a staggering degree of endemism. The Pau Brasil (Caesalpinia echinata), a tree exploited for five centuries, is one of the many threatened endemic plant species from the Atlantic Rainforest.