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Historical Mango Tree of Rubens José Vervloet Gomes Street Is Preserved After Community Mobilization Prevents Cut Requested by Neighbor in the Center of Vitória During Ash Wednesday (18)
The historical mango tree on Rubens José Vervloet Gomes Street, in the Center of Vitória, was nearly cut down on Ash Wednesday (18), following a request from a neighbor.
The mango tree was preserved after residents mobilized to convince the Municipal Environment Department to carry out only pruning.
Historical Mango Tree Mobilizes Residents Against Cut in the Center of Vitória
The tree has been part of the Community Garden Quintal na Cidade for over 10 years. The space occupies a dead-end street, transformed into a collective backyard open to community participation. Various species of fruits, vegetables, and flowers are cultivated in the area.
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All care for the garden is carried out by residents and volunteers, without direct assistance from the city hall. The request for cutting came from a neighbor who claimed damage to her house’s roof caused by the tree’s branches.
According to Eduarda Borges Bimbatto, the garden coordinator, a technical team was sent to the location to carry out what was classified as a drastic cut, without prior consultation with the residents or the collective responsible for the space.
She reports that, upon learning of the situation, they immediately organized neighbors and members of the garden to mediate the action. Thanks to the team’s presence and the biologist’s willingness to listen to the community, the cut was avoided.
Technical Evaluation Concludes Absence of Fall Risk
Eduarda reports that the responsible biologist analyzed the mango tree and concluded that there was no risk of it falling. Only the branches that reached the neighbor’s residence needed to be pruned.
“Did they have to cut it? No, they didn’t. We managed to get the city hall to carry out only the pruning. For now, the mango tree is preserved,” explains the coordinator.
Another resident who accompanied the action mediated with the city hall team. He argued that the tree is part of a community project that has been consolidated for over 10 years and that the cut could not happen without dialogue.
Eduarda states that the group will remain vigilant to prevent new attempts to suppress the tree and other specimens in the collective space.
Formal Protocol and Request for Legal Protection of the Trees
In addition to preventing the immediate cut, residents plan to open a formal protocol with the Municipal Environment Department.
The intention is to request legal protection for the trees, periodic pruning, and technical monitoring of the cultivated species.
“We want protection for the tree, not cutting. Planting more trees, not cutting down,” emphasizes the representative of the collective.
The goal is to create mechanisms that prevent individual actions from putting historical and fruitful specimens at risk.
The movement also mentions recent advances regarding the rights of nature, which recognize the importance of preserving species and urban green areas. The intention is to ensure institutional attention to the mango tree and other trees.
In addition to the mango tree, the garden hosts lemon, papaya, and acerola trees. These specimens may be included in the measures that the collective intends to formalize with the public authorities.
Precedents of Legal Protection in Brazil and Abroad
In various Brazilian cities, communities and public agencies have acted to protect specific trees against cutting or suppression. In some cases, specimens have been declared protected against cutting through municipal decrees.
These decrees function as legal immunity. While protected by law, the specimens cannot be cut or suppressed, and any intervention requires formal authorization from the public authorities.
Protection can also occur through court orders, specific legal prescriptions, or organized social mobilization. The garden collective cites these precedents as the basis for its initiative.
A well-known international case is that of the coast redwood tree named Luna, in California, United States. Activist Julia Butterfly Hill lived for 738 days in the tree, which is about 1,000 years old, to prevent its cutting.
After the occupation, an agreement was established with the responsible company, ensuring that the tree would not be cut in that location. The case is cited as an example of protection obtained through negotiation forced by resistance.
Community Effort and Celebration of 10 Years of the Garden
With the mango tree preserved, at least for now, the collective plans a community effort for next Sunday (22). The program includes organizing the space and a shared snack among participants.
A special celebration is also planned to mark the 10th anniversary of the project. The group intends to reinforce the importance of community participation in the preservation of trees and public space.
For the organizers, the recent mobilization reinforces the legitimacy of community action. They advocate that the historical mango tree and other trees receive formal protection mechanisms, preventing individual decisions from putting the environmental and historical heritage of the community at risk.
The collective believes that the experience highlights the need for prior dialogue before interventions. The intention is to transform the mobilization into an institutional measure that ensures continuous technical monitoring and prevents new attempts at undue cutting or unilateral actions.
With information from Século Diário.
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