it is known for its abundance of
wildlife and vegetation, and for being the second largest urban forest in
the world, with the nearby forest da
pedra brancanow being the
largest.
the
demand for sugar cane in the mid-seventeenth century meant that
farmers began clearing large tracts of the forest through controlled
fires. the area was also deforsted for timber, much of which was
converted into coal for use in rio de janeiro.