Coastal preservation areas in the north of the state of São Paulo are endangered by the increase in population and facilities installed for oil exploration and the expansion of two ports, according to a report by the Sustainable Coasts Project. The areas in question encompass some of the few conserved sections of the Mata Atlȃntica or Atlantic Forest, a tropical rainforest biome on Brazil’s Atlantic coast. The influx of migrants has replaced forested areas with irregular settlements, some of them even built on the slopes of hills.

“The most desirable sections of the north coast, near the ocean, are filled with summer houses, which means there is little urban space for cities to grow. When people migrate to the area, seeking employment, and do not have the financial resources to buy homes in these sections, they establish irregular settlements in preservation areas,” Kazuo Nakano, one of the coordinators of the project, told Tierramérica.