Prosecutors block zipline for Sugarloaf Mountain
Brazil’s federal prosecutors blocked a decision to authorize the installing of ziplines at Rio de Janeiro’s world-famous Sugarloaf Mountain, claiming they will damage the environment around one of the United Nations world’s heritage sites.
Prosecutors are arguing that Iphan, a federal organ under the Ministry of Culture, “illicitly” authorized the project after construction had already begun in September 2022.
Now, both Iphan and the company responsible for the construction of the ziplines are defendants in a civil lawsuit and each must pay a fine of at least $9.5 million US. Prosecutors gave the company a 60-day deadline to present a schedule to work on repairing a damaged area and to remove every structure and residuals used at the construction site.
Sugarloaf — known in Portuguese as Pao de Açucar — juts out of the earth at the entrance to Rio’s bay. The United Nations heritage centre named it a World Heritage Site in 2012 along with Rio’s other marquee mountains and, years earlier, Brazil’s heritage institute designated it a national monument.
The cable cars to its summit draw hundreds of thousands of Brazilian and international tourists each year, all eager to take in the panoramic views of the sprawling city’s beaches and forested mountains.
In March, about 200 people gathered beneath Sugarloaf Mountain to protest the ongoing construction of ziplines aimed at boosting tourism, alleging it would cause an “unacceptable” environmental impact.
The zipline’s four steel lines would run 755 metres over the forest between Sugarloaf and Urca Hill, and riders would reach speeds of 100 km/h. Inauguration was scheduled for the second half of this year, and an online petition to halt work was signed by almost 11,000 people.
The spot is also popular for sport climbing and birdwatching, with the preserved Atlantic Forest towering over the Urca neighbourhood.
As such, the prospect of riders buzzing down wires while screaming loudly united mountaineers, environmental activists and residents in opposition.
They have cautioned UNESCO could withdraw its heritage status.
Prosecutors acted after a public interest civil action lawsuit filed by Brazilian citizens required halting construction at Sugarloaf in order to protect the environment and its historical and cultural heritage. Federal prosecutors also found that the zipline construction “altered the land’s natural outline due to the rock’s demolition and drilling.”