The major economy of the city of Rio de Janeiro is tied into its tourism and leisure industry, due to its unique natural beauty of its landscape. The unique combination of mountains meeting the sea has earned it the title given by UNESCO of the First Urban and Cultural Landscape declared World Heritage. This takes into consideration the area s natural and urban monuments of the South zone, in particular, but recognizes the unique relationship between man and nature, and the balance between natural and man-made elements. It considers the environmental and social interaction, which enables its citizens to enjoy various forms of leisure activities associated with the area s unique natural beauty. However, despite this designation, on the west side of the city, there are found other natural beauties, including the coastal lagoons of the Jacarepaguá lagoon system. But here, the environment has been completely neglected by the government. In these lagoons, people cannot fish, sail, or swim. The use of these ecological sites is prohibited due to the contamination of the waters. A natural heritage for all, the waters have become degraded with the presence of raw sewage, which causes the foul smell, disease, and the reduced presence of fauna and flora. Unregulated construction on its banks and on the edges of its tributaries has caused these bodies of water to become filled with garbage, sand, and all sorts of debris, besides the sewage. From its primitive origin until the implementation of the Urbanist Lúcio Costa s plan, the region remained preserved. Corrêa (1933), testified crystal clear water lagoons and flooded green fields where fishing, hunting, and natural resources were abundant. However, even at this early date, he observed the degradation of forests and the hunting of animals out of control, and recorded a lack of regulation by the governing body, the Water and Sewage Inspectorate. He therefore suggested, inspired by the laws of the Office International pour la Protection de la Nature, the creation of a biological reserve for Marapendi lagoon, realized in 1965.