TIJUCA :
THE MIRACLE FOREST
TIJUCA spirits pay homage to the eponymous forest, the green lung of Rio de Janeiro.
The Tijuca Forest was on the verge of disappearing; miraculously saved, its story deserves to be told.
BY THE WILL OF HIS MAJESTY PEDRO II
On December 18, 1861, in the heat of the southern summer, Major Manoel Gomes Archer, accompanied by the slaves Constantino, Eleutério, Leopoldo, Manuel, Maria and Mateus, began to climb the hills surrounding Rio de Janeiro.
His mission, which has just been entrusted to him by decree of Emperor Dom Pedro II, is to replant trees on these slopes in order to restore the Tijuca Forest as it once existed.
In fact, for several years now Rio de Janeiro has had no water, its rivers Carioca, Maracanã and Comprido no longer flow down the hills that overlook it, offering dazzling views, and the fountains no longer flow in the city squares.
THE MAJOR AND HIS TROOP
The blame lies with coffee plantations, sawmills and charcoal logging, which have led to the clearing of forests across much of the Tijuca Mountains, located around the city and part of the Mata Atlântica, a tropical rainforest that runs along Brazil's coastline.
Soon joined by 22 employees, Major Archer's small troop would, for thirteen years and not without the opposition of the landowners who had deforested the area, tirelessly replant trees until the original forest was restored.
100 000 TREES
100,000 young trees of many species were planted, from the nearby farms of Paineiras and Jacarepaguá or from the virgin forests of the Guaratiba region near the west coast of the city.
These trees required a very complex reforestation method, thus adding to the value of the work carried out by this small group of determined men and still symbolize to this day the great diversity of species endemic to the Mata Atlântica.
A FRENCH AT WORK
Later, Major Archer was called to Petrópolis, the emperor's summer residence, where he continued his ecological work because the "imperial city" was struck by the same ills as Rio de Janeiro.
Baron Gaston Louis Henri de Robert d’Escragnolle, son of French nobles, took over until his death in 1886, transforming the forest into this magnificent park which is today the pride of Rio de Janeiro.
FIRST ECOLOGICAL GESTURE IN HISTORY
Thanks to these men, Rio de Janeiro regained its water supply and the Tijuca forest became the first example in the world of successful reconstitution of an ecosystem, symbolizing an early awareness of ecological issues.
Having become an integral part of the Tijuca National Park, the Tijuca Forest, an essential green mass for the climate and hydrological control of the city of Rio de Janeiro, is now protected and constitutes the largest urban forest in the world.
PAY TRIBUTE AND PERPETUATE THE WORK
Raised near Rio de Janeiro, in the lands of Mata Atlântica, our spirits pay homage to the biological diversity of the Tijuca forest and the ecological awareness of these pioneers.
Intended to be a link between the past and the future, they are encouraging future generations to perpetuate the work of Pedro II and Major Archer in order to continue to benefit from the benefits of the Tijuca forest.
Because environmental and sustainable development issues are even more present today, TIJUCA stands alongside and financially supports those who work to protect the Mata Atlântica.
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