In June 2024, Mongabay contributing journalist Jenny Gonzales reported on efforts to protect one of Brazil’s emblematic giant tree species: the giant red angelim (Dinizia excelsa). Found in several parts of the Amazon basin, the species includes some of the tallest known trees in Latin America, including an 88.5-meter (290-foot) individual discovered in the Jari River Basin, nearly as tall as the Statue of Liberty from base to torch.
Gonzales’ reporting examined the challenges facing conservation efforts in Pará state, where illegal mining, deforestation and limited on-the-ground enforcement threaten areas where these ancient trees grow. It also reported on efforts by scientists and state environmental officials to strengthen protections by creating a fully protected conservation unit of about 562,000 hectares (1.4 million acres), an area around seven times the size of New York City, in part of the Paru State Forest.
Impact
Following publication, a scientist quoted in Gonzales’ story told her that Mongabay’s coverage helped draw attention to the need to protect the giant red angelins. By Sept. 30, 2024, the Pará state government formalized the Giant Trees Environmental State Park, known in Portuguese as Parque Estadual Ambiental das Árvores Gigantes da Amazônia. The new designation marked a significant conservation milestone for the giant red angelim and the forest habitat where it grows.
Likewise, Crisomar Lobato, director of biodiversity management at Ideflor-Bio, the state agency responsible for creating and managing the park, said media coverage contributed to the park’s creation: “Jenny Gonzales’ June 2024 article for Mongabay contributed at the international level and, cumulatively, in Brazil and Pará state to the creation of the Giant Trees Environmental State Park of the Amazon…”
Used in a broader push by scientists, conservationists and state officials to secure stronger protections for these trees, the story shows how independent environmental journalism can amplify little-known conservation priorities, inform public discussion and help sustain momentum for government action.
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Banner image: Located in the Amapá state, the second largest red angelim ever found is 85.4 meters (280 feet) tall and has a circumference of 9.8 meters (32 feet). Image courtesy of João de Matos Filho/Prodemac.