By Nicholas Locke

Rio de Janeiro, with its seafront apartments vying for spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean, is one of the most iconic cities in the world. The city’s interior has largely been forgotten; however, its verdant forests are steadily turning into an urban chaos.

Things were much different 150 years ago when Charles Darwin rode on horseback through the area. Stunned by the natural beauty around him, he wrote:

“Delight itself is too a weak term to express the feelings of a naturalist who for the first time, has wandered by himself in a Brazilian forest. The elegance of the grasses, the novelty of the parasitical plants, the beauty of the flowers, the glossy green of the foliage, but above all the general luxuriance of the vegetation filled me with admiration.”

Forest surrounding Rio de Janeiro © Raysa Lima

Metropolis sprawl © Marco Verch

Despite encroaching development, the forested Serra do Mar mountains surrounding the city are still in relatively good condition – but that may not be the case for long.

A management plan is urgently needed to ensure the protection of these mountains and their forests before the sprawling metropolis reaches them.

While enacting such a plan may seem daunting, we know from experience at the REGUA reserve (located less than 60 miles from Rio) that success is feasible. The consistent efforts we’ve made over the last 15 years prove that the consolidation of green areas around Rio is possible.

REGUA is not the only organization focused on protecting these areas. There are a handful of other similarly-minded projects focused on the same mission. Inspired by London’s Metropolitan Green Belt, which was created in the 1960’s, I made contact with these organizations and suggested that we develop an action plan to do something similar in Rio.

If successful, the outcome of such a project would be tremendous. There are millions of seedlings ready to be planted and the green belt project offers vast opportunities for income generation.

To begin, we have decided to concentrate efforts in the Duque de Caxias Municipality, which has approximately 125 square miles in need of reforestation. This project would act as the first link in Rio’s new green belt.

The immediate reaction to this plan from the key players has been incredibly positive. This is not entirely surprising considering the recent wild fires and droughts that have hit major cities in southeast Brazil.

Leading the new project in Duque de Caxias is Thais Corral. Thais gained invaluable forestry experience while establishing the “Adapta Sertao” project in northeast Brazil, which generated international recognition for its success in organizing economically disadvantaged communities around environmental objectives.

Thais’s experience in building working relationships with government agencies and implementing environmental agendas is most valuable, and her decision to begin the new project “Sinal do Vale” in Duque de Caxias could not come at a better time.

This is very much a forward-looking initiative and it will certainly have lasting results in Rio de Janeiro and beyond.