Olympic Golf Course brings environmental benefits to Marapendi region

The Olympic Golf Course in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, has brought environmental benefits to the land on which it is being created and to the surrounding Marapendi Environmental Protection Area (APA). That was the conclusion of an expert appointed by the Court of Justice who carried out an inspection of the site in December 2015, accompanied by public prosecutors, legal advisers and environmental specialists (including biologists, agronomists, forestry experts, architects and urban planners).

According to the expert report requested in a civil action filed by the State Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro, which addresses the environmental impacts of the project, the golf course has benefited the local ecosystem by increasing the area covered by vegetation, recuperating an entire area that had become degraded since the 1980s, and generating conditions conducive to the development of local fauna.

The report states that “apart from the Marginal Protection Strip [Faixa Marginal de Proteção – FMP], the area in question was totally degraded before the work began (…) Now that the area is seeing a recovery of biodiversity, fully integrated with the surrounding conservation units, it is playing a central role in the maintenance of biodiversity and thus a driving force of that biodiversity.”

The 27-page report states that “there have been environmental and scenic gains from the implementation of the project”, as observed by the export who travelled around the area at the end of last year. The document points out, for example, that the creation of the golf course will produce, by the end of the project, a 167% increase in the area covered by vegetation, in comparison with the native vegetation previously present.
Another finding was that the golf course has not adversely affected the Marginal Protection Strip (FMP) facing Marapendi Lagoon. “The FMP has retained its original form, with little replanting or transplanting having been necessary”, says the report. “Following the actions that were carried out in the development of the golf course, the main driver of changes in the FMP has been the natural evolution of flora and fauna.”

The specialists also confirmed that the area in question was completely degraded before work on the golf course began. “Prior to the work, the panorama was one of environmental degradation, with the situation worsening over time and creating a contrast with the surrounding natural setting and lake system. The land on which the course is being built had been damaged by sand extraction and subsequently used for the manufacture and storage of precast concrete used for building schools. This led, between the mid-1980s and early 1990s, to the development of a large area devoid of vegetation.”

Another advantage of the golf course, according to the inspectors, was the transplanting of certain native species within the area in question. This was done only when necessary, and proved successful. Moreover, the seedlings grown in the nursery area were transferred successfully.

The report also notes benefits to local fauna. “Based on the listed reports it can be noted that during the development of the golf course, the dynamics of the populations of local fauna have promoted greater biodiversity in the area and a significant enrichment in terms of wildlife”, it says. “Based upon the management of native vegetation through the planting and transplanting of native species, the total number of local species of fauna increased from 118 to 263 between the initial inventory (June 2013) and the latest inventory (November 2015).”

The report also reveals that the area is already being frequented by birds such as burrowing owls that are feeding on insects. It also points out that during the inspection there were indications (droppings, tracks, burrows, etc) of the presence of mammals, and that those mammals have been observed on the site during the creation of the golf course.

The report adds that the ecological corridors for the circulation of land animals have been preserved. “The corridors in the area are through the vegetation that has been maintained or created. When the golf course is deserted – such as at night or during heavy rain – the animals circulate normally through the grass and along the already-existing tracks”, it says.

Source: Rio de Janeiro City Hall