The city government and ICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation) sign an agreement to strengthen the management of Tijuca National Park.

The partnership foresees integrated actions for public planning and conservation of historical, environmental and cultural heritage - Marcos de Paula/Rio City Hall

The mayor of Rio, Eduardo Cavaliere, and the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, João Paulo Ribeiro Capobianco, participated this Wednesday (July 1st) in the signing of a technical cooperation agreement between the Rio de Janeiro City Hall and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) to strengthen the management of the Tijuca National Park. The partnership establishes integrated action between the two bodies in public order and conservation and protection of the historical, environmental, and cultural heritage of the conservation unit. The event also included the presence of the president of ICMBio, Mauro Pires, the head of the Tijuca National Park, Viviane Lasmar, and the municipal secretary of Environment and Climate, Lívia Galdino.

"Today we are resuming the possibility of working in partnership with all the agencies involved here. This Shared Management Agreement allows the City Hall, the Ministry of the Environment, ICMBio, and the management of the Tijuca National Park to work together within a technical cooperation agreement," explained Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere.

The mayor also highlighted the "supernatural power" of Tijuca National Park:

– We are at the foot of Christ the Redeemer, one of the wonders of the world. We need to take care of this place with all our energy, our ability to coordinate, with the governments working together. We still have a lot of work ahead of us.

The agreement, valid for five years, formalizes cooperation between the two levels of government, without the transfer of financial resources between the parties, and foresees the participation of at least 19 municipal structures, including secretariats, foundations, companies, and management offices. The actions will be detailed in a Work Plan, with goals, schedules, and indicators. The management of the Tijuca National Park remains the responsibility of ICMBio.

According to Minister João Paulo Ribeiro Capobianco, this cooperation agreement has the common goal of "protecting, revitalizing, and glorifying such a fantastic territorial space."

"Today we are all here together, building a solution. It's an exercise in citizenship," he stated.

With this agreement, the City Hall will further expand its conservation and infrastructure work, such as cleaning, tree pruning, drainage, and maintenance of public lighting. The Municipal Guard will operate daily at strategic tourist sites, in addition to carrying out actions to combat illegal parking and supporting the organization of visitors in highly visited places, such as Vista Chinesa, Pedra Bonita, and the Dona Marta viewpoint.

The Municipal Department of Environment and Climate, for example, will also monitor vegetation cover via satellite, reforest surrounding areas, among other actions. There will also be an important exchange of knowledge for the development of environmental education in municipal schools and an expansion of school visits to the Park.

The cooperation agreement also involves the participation of several municipal bodies, such as Comlurb, CET-Rio, GEO-Rio, and the Secretariats of Conservation and Public Order. All actions will be detailed in a Work Plan, with goals, schedules, and indicators. The management of Tijuca National Park remains the responsibility of ICMBio.

The partnership will generate permanent integration between ICMBio and municipal agencies for planning, monitoring, and evaluating actions taken, ensuring continuous and collaborative work. During the ceremony, the modernization schedule for the escalators leading to Christ the Redeemer was also announced.