Sugarloaf Mountain zipline project blocked by Brazilian federal court

The Federal Regional Court of the 2nd Region (TRF2) denied the request of Companhia Caminho Aéreo Pão de Açúcar to resume construction of a zipline on the Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) in Rio de Janeiro. The court upheld the suspension of the project, noting that any delay only postpones future revenue while the rock cuts would cause permanent, irreversible damage.

The decision maintains the earlier ruling of the 20th Federal Court, which annulled the environmental licenses for the zipline, ordered restoration of the degraded area, and imposed a R$30 million indemnity for damage to the rock formations. The site is protected as a Municipal Natural Monument since 2006, and the judgment reinforces the protection of Brazil’s cultural and environmental heritage against private economic interests.