Municipal reforestation
City of Rio de Janeiro, ReflorestaRio · Rio de Janeiro
Regenerating the Atlantic Forest around Rio de Janeiro, with the city.
With the City of Rio de Janeiro, MORFO runs large-scale, drone-assisted reforestation under the municipal ReflorestaRio programme. Against record heat, flooding and landslides, the work rebuilds native Atlantic Forest across four areas of the city: Serra de Inhoaíba, Serra da Posse, Serra do Quitungo and Serra do Cantagalo.
- Biome
- Atlantic Forest
- Size
- 100 ha
- Status
- Under restoration and enrichment to 2027
A city under climate stress, with heat waves, flooding and landslide risk, and hillsides that had lost their forest cover. The challenge is restoring in hard-to-reach terrain while the climate pressure keeps rising.
MORFO analysed soil and selected native species area by area, ran the first native-species seed dispersal in Serra de Inhoaíba in July 2024, then expanded to the other areas. The plan is to restore 30 hectares and enrich a further 30 with native Atlantic Forest species, and to monitor 100 hectares in all, with progress read by multispectral drone and permanent sample plots.
Jan 2024
Technology presented in Rio de Janeiro.
Jul 2024
Official launch, first seed dispersal in Serra de Inhoaíba.
Oct 2024 – Apr 2025
Diagnostic phase: soil and biodiversity analysis.
2025 – 2027Last updated
Monitoring and continuous ecosystem tracking, to completion in 2027.
30 + 30 ha
restored and enriched, within 100 ha monitored
A public urban-resilience programme, running to 2027.
City of Rio de Janeiro, within the ReflorestaRio programme.
A public city programme showing that large-scale restoration can be planned, measured and held accountable over years, in an urban setting where every tree counts against the heat.
Turn degraded land into a project that holds.
Send us an area. We will tell you if it is viable, and how.