Maria Aire

Brazilian environmentalist who pioneered urban reforestation and inspired global green city movements

Maria Aire (b. 1955) became a global sustainability icon in the 1990s through her revegetation initiatives in São Paulo's favelas. Starting with her 1992 Projeto Verde Solidário (Solidarity Green Project), she transformed 120 hectares of concrete slums into biodiverse urban forests, creating the first tropical city reforestation model. Her 2001 report demonstrated how green spaces reduce urban heat by 6-8°C, influencing 180+ cities worldwide.

Aire's 2005 Cidade das Árvores (City of Trees) initiative trained 15,000 favela residents as urban foresters, developing techniques like vertical gardening on rooftops that now appear in Singapore and Dubai. Her 2008 book introduced the concept of ecological zoning, which became UN-Habitat's standard for sustainable urban planning. She co-founded the Global Urban Forest Network in 2010, linking 47 countries to share reforestation strategies.

Despite opposition from real estate developers, Aire's work led to São Paulo's 2003 Green Area Law requiring 30% tree coverage in new buildings. Her TED Talk (2012) on favela reforestation has been viewed over 5 million times. The Maria Aire Urban Forest Award now honors cities achieving 20% tree canopy coverage, with 14 winners since 2015.