Tijuca Forest is filled with history and reverence for the environment. The people of Rio have come to respect and understand the necessity of nature through this forest and it is a most profound thing that they were able to salvage it from destruction. It is an astounding story that can be used as an example of the preponderancy of nature and the need to treat it with respect. Tijuca now covers over 3,200 hectares and is home to hundreds of species of plants and wildlife, but there is no telling what was lost in the devastation of the original forest. The opportunity will not always be there to rehabilitate something once destroyed and it is a valuable lesson to learn that without Tijuca, Rio would not be the city it is today.

“It is nothing short of scandalous that we probably only know one out of every ten species on the earth, let alone where they are or, carious aspects of their biology…” ~ Tom Lovejoy, Reith Lecture, Biodiversity, 2000

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12