Floresta da Tijuca

"The elites of Rio de Janeiro undertook to reforest Tijuca in 1860s-70s not only for such practical reasons as protection of the city's water supply and ensuring availability of building supplies, but also because they saw it as part of a 'discourse' of progress and civilization 'that had European nations as the paradigm.' The forest domesticated nature while making trees part of the city"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.