A Rio of forests: a reflection on the meaning of creation of parks in the city of Rio de Janeiro

The establishment of a protected area is the result of concepts, projects and legal decisions that throughout its existence delimit and define uses for a natural pre-existing reality. The present paper describes the process of creating and implementing of Tijuca National Park and Pedra Branca State Park in order to understand how both parks "talk to each other", express in their territory and through representations assigned to them, the marks awarded from concepts of conservation, and take on new symbolic dimensions in permanent interaction with the urban space of Rio de Janeiro.