there are various other distinctive parts of the forest, such as the pioneer formations and the vegetation refuges.

the pioneer formations are found in areas where water is in abundance, and include salt marshes, mangroves and hydromorphic grasslands, while the vegetation refuges can be found on the fields with high altitude, at the tops of mountains. outside the metropolitan region, vegetation refuges appear mostly on altitude fields, on peaks such as the mountains of the itatiaia national park, and of the serra da bocaina.

salt marshes and mangroves are present in many parts of rio along the coast, with one of the best location to enjoy these rich ecosystems being the canal do bacalhau in barra de guaratiba.