Tijuca National Park
Brazil · Americas
About
The Tijuca National Park (Portuguese: Parque Nacional da Tijuca) is an urban national park in the mountains of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The park is part of the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Preserve, and is administered by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio).
The area is composed of secondary vegetation, as it is the result of reforestation carried out during the Second Empire, when it became clear that deforestation caused by coffee farms was harming the drinking water supply of the then-capital of the Empire. More than 230 species of animals and birds live in the park, including capuchin monkeys, coatis, agoutis, wild dogs, marmosets, hummingbirds and thrushes.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.