LATEST
NEWS

Rio Olympic course ‘increased biodiversity’, says official report
Adam Lawrence
/ Categories: News

Rio Olympic course ‘increased biodiversity’, says official report

The controversial Rio Olympic golf course has had a positive effect on the biodiversity of the site, according to an official report from the Rio de Janeiro Department of Justice.

The report, carried out after an inspection by experts last December, was ordered by a lawsuit filed by state prosecutors. Local environmental campaigners have long criticised the golf course project, which was designed and constructed by American architect Gil Hanse.

The reports clearly states that the construction of the course, in the Barra da Tijuca area of Rio, has enabled the return of several species of animals to a site that was previously degraded. The study also concluded that the protected green areas at the margins of the Lagoa de Marapendi lagoon were not affected by the construction of the golf course.

“The environmental gain in the region is visible. Besides the flora, which increased extensively, we can observe the different species of animals that have returned to the area. The report now provides a scientific stamp to what we had already observed,” said Carina Flores, Rio 2016’s sustainability coordinator.

Among the environmental benefits in the report are a 167 per cent increase in vegetation, which led to a “positive cycle for fauna development”. The report also indicates that 263 species are found in the area now – before the construction there were only 118 species.

Previously, approximately 80 per cent of the total area was degraded due to sand extraction activities and deposit of cement. “The disfigurement of the natural environment that happened in the 80s and 90s led to an extensive area with no vegetation,” reads the report.

Previous Article Shaftesbury Glen Golf & Fish Club course to reopen following renovations
Next Article Architect Pizá launches scheme to expose underprivileged kids to golf
Print
6733 Rate this article:
No rating
Adam Lawrence

Adam LawrenceAdam Lawrence

Other posts by Adam Lawrence
Contact author

Contact author

x
Summer 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now
Magazine, News | Mon 09 Jun, 2025

Summer 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now

New release asks: ‘what inspired you to become a golf course architect?’

The April 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!
Magazine, News | Wed 16 Apr, 2025

The April 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!

Includes reports from Maggie Hathaway and Apogee, interviews with Martin Ebert and Dave Axland and a feature on golf art

FEATURE
ARTICLES

Playing firm and fast in France
Tahoma 31
Report | Stacie Zinn Roberts

Playing firm and fast in France

Golf de Cannes Mougins has regrassed its fairways with Tahoma 31 bermuda. Stacie Zinn Roberts spoke with agronomist Alejandro Reyes and superintendent Thibaut Perez about its performance

You shall go to the ball
Russell Kirk
Report | Toby Ingleton

You shall go to the ball

A Cinderella story has unfolded at the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club, within Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Toby Ingleton reports

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse
USGA/Fred Vuich
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse

With the 2025 US Open arriving at Oakmont, Richard Humphreys spoke with the architect, who renovated the course in 2023, about what to expect

Martin Ebert: Design journey
Taku Miyamoto
Interview | Adam Lawrence

Martin Ebert: Design journey

With a portfolio that includes eight of the ten Open venues, Mackenzie & Ebert occupies an enviable position in the golf design industry. Adam Lawrence spoke with principal Martin Ebert to learn how they got there

South course at Apogee Club: New scenery for second act
Toby Ingleton
On site | Toby Ingleton

South course at Apogee Club: New scenery for second act

Toby Ingleton reports on a design debut for the partnership of Mike Davis and Tom Fazio II, in the new course hotspot of south Florida

The art of golf
theberkshire.co.uk, The R&A World Golf Museum and National Galleries of Scotland
Feature | Adam Lawrence

The art of golf

Adam Lawrence profiles some of the best illustrators of golf courses in the game’s history – both full-time artists and architects who draw or paint

A masterplan of masters’ plans
Cohasse CC
Report | Mark Wagner

A masterplan of masters’ plans

Mark Wagner writes about the Tim Lewis-led renovation of Cohasse, a course that includes the work of Donald Ross and the sons of Frederick Law Olmsted

Quail Hollow: An interview with Tom Fazio
PGA of America/ Gary W. Kellner
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Quail Hollow: An interview with Tom Fazio

The architect talks about how this year’s PGA Championship venue has evolved over the past 30 years

Bringing golf to Benin
Afrikafun Production Stephane Brabant
Report | Richard Humphreys

Bringing golf to Benin

Jeremy Pern and Gregori International are creating the first 18-hole course in the West African country, on an ‘almost perfect’ site that also includes a sacred grove and voodoo shrines

The future of vegetation management on Melbourne’s Sandbelt
Lukas Michel/CDP
Opinion | Mike Clayton

The future of vegetation management on Melbourne’s Sandbelt

Mike Clayton discusses Alister MacKenzie’s transformative impact on Australian golf and how clubs can avoid repeating previous mistakes by establishing a long-term plan focused on indigenous plants

Maggie Hathaway: A force for good
Stephen Barton – Second Collective
On site | Adam Lawrence

Maggie Hathaway: A force for good

The reconstruction of the nine-hole course in Los Angeles is the golf industry at its best, says Adam Lawrence

Gopher Watch Competition – April 2025
Gopher Watch, News | Wed 16 Apr, 2025

Gopher Watch Competition – April 2025

Which course has Sandy the gopher visited this month?

MOST
POPULAR

FEATURED
BUSINESSES