The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics released (IBGE) today (20) an updated version of the Map of Phytoecological Regions and Other Areas. Among the new features is the inclusion of  the Evergreen Seasonal Forest and the Vegetation Refuge in the Macro-characterization of Brazil's Natural Resources, launched in 2019.

The latter presented the general results obtained throughout the Natural Resources Mapping Project (MRN), which described cartographically the large sets of natural elements of the themes Geology (rocks), Geomorphology (relief), Pedology (soils) and Vegetation compatible with the 1:250,000 scale throughout the national territory. The objective was to group the collected data and project them as more accessible maps to the population.

Phytoecological Regions

In this sense, phytoecological regions are areas of the territory that have similar types of vegetation, influenced by the ecological characteristics of the environment, such as relief, soil, and others.

The map of Phytoecological Regions and Other Areas depicts the past limits of the Brazilian vegetation cover. These were grouped at the Subgroup Formation level into ten phytoecological regions, namely: Dense Ombrophilous Forest, Open Ombrophilous Forest, Mixed Ombrophilous Forest, Evergreen Seasonal Forest (included in this technical review), Semideciduous Seasonal Forest, Deciduous Seasonal Forest, Campinarana, Savanna (Cerrado), Steppe-like Savanna (Caatinga) and Steppe (Southern Fields).

The so-called Other Areas – which do not qualify as a Region but have vegetation cover – are composed of Pioneer Formations (Mangroves, Sandbanks and Vegetation with fluvial/lacustrine influence), Vegetation Refuges (also included in this review) and Areas of Ecological Tension (when there is contact or transition between two or three types of vegetation).

Diversity of Refuges

The inclusion of the Refuges occurred after field expeditions in 2024 and 2025 in the Espinhaço Mountains, a region in the state of Minas Gerais. In this case, the importance of this phytophysiognomy was highlighted by the observation of its significant floristic geographic extent, frequency, diversity, and endemism – with plant species that naturally exist only in a specific geographic region.

As explained by the head of the IBGE's environmental sector, Luciana Temponi, the refuges were already mapped by the institute, but had not been included in the previous publication because they were considered small areas compared to the entire territory.

“Two main factors led us to make this update. The first is that the pioneering formations are also small and they were already on the map. In addition, every time we went to the field and talked to people and researchers who work in these areas, they were categorical in stating that the refuges should be included because of the diversity they bring. They are very diverse and contain species that only occur there,” emphasizes Ms. Temponi.

The researcher also highlights that the refuges are "relic" communities, as they preserve vegetation from a past era that has remained even under environmental or climatic changes. They are, therefore, a remnant of vegetation older than that of the current surroundings, representing 0.2% of the national territory.

"With these field visits, we had greater contact with the refuges and saw that it was important for them to be present," said Ms. Temponi.

The inclusion of the Evergreen Seasonal Forest is due to the fact that it is a type of vegetation that presents high greenness of its tree cover, even during the most critical period of drought. Its greatest occurrence was recorded in the state of Mato Grosso (MT). This type of vegetation occupies approximately 170,000 km², corresponding to 2% of the national territory.

Greater knowledge about the territorry 

The head of the IBGE's biobiotic sector emphasizes that macro-characterization of environments, delimiting the various types of vegetation found in the country, can help in understanding the types of grasslands, and other areas in recent and past periods. This data, therefore, produces knowledge that can support public policy-making.

“The map of regions provides a greater separation than that of biomes. Within the Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Forest) Biome, for example, you can find several Phytoecological Regions. And there are areas that have different behavior. If you are in an area that has Ombrophilous Forest, it means that it rains a lot there, it's a humid environment. Whereas in a refuge, you expect a more rocky environment. The map works well for you to better understand and grasp the territory, some processes and the types of vegetation in our country. The interpretation and knowledge of the territory become deeper,” explains Ms. Temponi.

Macro-characterization Collection

The released product complements the publication Macro-characterization of Brazil's Natural Resources in the chapter "Phytoecological Regions and Other Areas." This includes the Evergreen Seasonal Forest (Perennial Forest) and the System of Vegetation Refuges (Relict Communities).

The map update is the result of the evolution of knowledge and mapping of natural resources under the IBGE's scope.

The "Macro-characterization of Brazil's Natural Resources" collection is available on the IBGE's Interactive Geographic Platform  and in the Environmental Information Database. The collection aims to offer society a portrait of the Brazilian natural environment, offering a broad and integrated view of the territory.