Brazilian researchers identify 500-year-old tree in Rio de Janeiro
Located deep inside Pedra Branca Park, the tree stands as a symbol of biodiversity conservation
Brazilian researchers have identified a centuries-old jequitiba-rosa tree in Pedra Branca State Park, in Guaratiba, west of Rio de Janeiro, reports Agência Brasil.
The specimen stands around 40 metres tall – the height of a 13-storey building – with a circumference of seven metres, and is estimated to be about 500 years old.
According to biologists Monique Medeiros Gabriel and Jailton Costa, the tree is located one kilometre inside the forest, at an altitude of 200 metres. Its preservation has been credited to restricted access through the privately owned Jequitiba-Rosa Site.
Biologist Thiago Fernandes stressed that the jequitiba-rosa is exclusive to the Atlantic Forest and is threatened with extinction due to logging and habitat loss. The specimen has been earmarked for seed collection and seedling production, with the aim of reintroducing it into the wild in line with official conservation guidelines.
Photo: cabuscaa / iStock
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