{"id":83050,"date":"2026-03-31T22:14:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T01:14:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=83050"},"modified":"2026-04-05T09:28:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T12:28:15","slug":"rio-civil-society-forms-front-to-defend-the-citys-trees-from-city-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=83050","title":{"rendered":"Rio Civil Society Forms Front to Defend Trees From City Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>
The Urban Tree Front discusses strategic points to combat deadly tree lopping in Rio. Photo: Amanda Baroni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Last November, RioOnWatch reported on the dismantling of the award-winning Reforestation Collective Action Program<\/a>, a rare example of an effective, historic public policy in the city’s favelas. Now, various movements are coming together to demand an end to deadly tree topping, a practice that is affecting diverse neighborhoods<\/a> across Rio de Janeiro, alongside the dismantling of environmental protection agencies and the destruction of the city\u2019s iconic green areas<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

In recent years, Rio de Janeiro has accumulated a deficit of over 800,000 trees removed<\/a> across the city, reaching an alarming net rate of 35 trees cut down per day.<\/h3>\n

On a recent afternoon, neighbors, technical and environmental advocates gathered at the T\u00e9rcio Pacitti auditorium at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UniRio), in Urca, Rio de Janeiro\u2019s South Zone<\/a>, to discuss strategies to combat the dramatic rise in predatory tree pruning (more accurately known as ‘topping<\/a>‘) across the city.<\/p>\n

Attendees represented environmental groups such as Ecological Occupation, Breathe Rio<\/a>, the Engineering Club<\/a>, Amagraja<\/a>, Alma, the Botafogo Residents\u2019 Association<\/a>, the Rio de Janeiro Federation of Neighborhood Associations (FAM Rio<\/a>), Urban Reforestation<\/a>, M\u00e3o na Jaca<\/a>, Living Bay Movement<\/a>, Grassroots Movements Central<\/a>, the G\u00e1vea Residents\u2019 and Friends\u2019 Association (Amagavea<\/a>), the Engineers\u2019 Union (Senge RJ<\/a>), the Ecological Action Group (GAE<\/a>), AMAGUINLE<\/a> and Vida Movement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Marcelo<\/a>
Marcelo Lemos, member of the Living Bay Movement, at a meeting of the Urban Tree Front at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UniRio). Photo: Amanda Baroni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Deadly Tree Topping<\/h3>\n

Pruning is a practice commonly used for ecological maintenance and conservation, involving cuts made at strategic times and in specific ways to preserve the tree and the safety of its surroundings<\/a>. Predatory pruning<\/a>, or ‘tree topping,’ on the other hand, occurs indiscriminately, removing branches and leaves disproportionately from its canopy, often leaving only the trunk.<\/p>\n

The death of a tree due to topping occurs when the cut compromises its ability to regenerate. This, in turn, makes the microclimate hotter.<\/p>\n

On Ilha do Governador<\/a>, in Rio\u2019s North Zone<\/a>, in the neighborhood of Jardim Guanabara, for example, a resident pointed out the destruction on Rua Baba\u00e7u, at the corner of Rua Dom Ant\u00f4nio de Macedo. In the images, it is clear that the pruning went beyond<\/a> what was necessary, leaving the trees with almost no canopy:<\/p>\n