The former islet of Ilha do Pinheiro (Pine Island) off the coast of Rio de Janeiro ceased to function as a patch of land surrounded by water in the 1980s. As a result of extensive redevelopment of the local coastline, this green enclave was ‘absorbed’ into the urban landscape. After almost 20 years, a park was created on the site, now known as Parque Ecológico da Maré.
Ilha do Pinheiro in Rio de Janeiro
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Ilha do Pinheiro was a small island in Guanabara Bay, surrounded by vast mangrove forests. At that time, it housed a quarantine station for emigrants arriving in Brazil (including Poles). It was here that people seeking a better life on another continent waited to complete the formalities before settling further inland. Later, the island served as a base for the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, one of Brazil’s most important research centres. Scientists conducted various experiments there involving macaques, which is where its colloquial name, Ilha dos Macacos (Monkey Island), comes from. At that time, Rio was experiencing a real boom, mainly as a research centre and port metropolis. The changes taking place did not fail to have an impact on the rich, exotic nature of Brazil’s coastline.
Projeto Rio – major changes
The city’s most extensive period of redevelopment took place in the 1970s and 1980s, during the military regime in Brazil. As part of the Projeto Rio programme, works on a massive scale were carried out in the Maré district at that time. Successive layers of transported earth gradually filled in the waters of the bay and the marshy areas around the island. Ilha do Pinheiro eventually lost its distinct identity entirely, becoming part of the mainland. Between 1983 and 1984, Vila do Pinheiro was built on the newly created land, a housing estate intended for people displaced from their stilt houses, which posed numerous risks. Projeto Rio brooked no compromise. Its priority was to create space for new development as quickly as possible, with little regard for the environment
Rio de Janeiro under concrete
The city’s expansion into the bay brought irreversible changes to the local ecosystem. The mangroves, which had previously filtered the water and protected the shoreline, were cut down and replaced with concrete. The redevelopment of Rio de Janeiro also affected the hydrological system of the entire surrounding area. Artificial embankments disrupted the natural flow of water, resulting in numerous floods in the years that followed. Such significant interference with the landscape also had consequences for biodiversity. Scientists recorded a drastic decline in biodiversity, as the habitats of many plant and animal species disappeared beneath the mounds of earth. Similar developments were taking place at the time in many other South American cities. Expanding cities were extending their territories at the expense of picturesque and valuable bays, lagoons and islands, treating nature as a reserve of land for development.
Parque Ecológico da Maré
New housing estates were built around Ilha do Pinheiro, and the former island was significantly degraded. It was not until 2000 that the authorities changed their approach to this forgotten part of the city. Parque Ecológico da Maré, covering approximately 44,000 square metres, was created on part of the former islet. Paths, playgrounds, an amphitheatre and relaxation areas amongst the trees were built there. The park is now locally known as Mata do Pinheiro (mata means ‘forest’ in Portuguese), serving as a very important place for local residents.
The park in the heart of Maré
What is most striking about the park’s current appearance and function is its context. This green enclave is situated right in the heart of the sprawling Maré favelas, surrounded by dense, low-quality housing and major transport routes leading, among other places, to the airport. Nature functions here as an isolated island, paradoxically reminiscent of the former geography of Ilha do Pinheiro, though this time in a distorted mirror image. The area lacks access to the natural shoreline of the bay, and the landscape bears clear signs of its modification.
Source: arquivomuseudamare.org, paulosilvahistory.blogspot.com
See also:Interesting facts|Urban planning|Metamorphosis|City|History | Brazil
