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RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - Aderbal Ashogun, a priest in the Afro-Brazilian religion called candomble, claps his hands three times and says a prayer before putting out a candle left at the foot of a tree in Rio de Janeiro's Tijuca Forest.

The forest is the world's biggest park inside a city, covering an area the size of 4,000 soccer fields and lies amid Rio's upscale districts, posh villas as well as "favela" slums.

Enthusiasts are converting part of it into an area of worship called the Sacred Space which welcomes followers of Afro-Brazilian, druidic, shamanic and many other cults.

But offerings to deities of food, liquor, knickknacks and candles left by devotees often leave the ground more polluted than a rock concert.

"In this area alone we have 30 trees damaged by the fire... and about 100 kg (220 pounds) of garbage removed daily," said Ashogun, a Sacred Space organizer.

Ashogun comes three times a week to participate in the awareness campaign for the Sacred Space. He tells devotees to use biodegradable materials -- such as receptacles made of palm leaves or vegetables rather than plastic or glass and also to reduce the number and size of their offerings.

"The idea that the more you offer (to a deity), the more is accepted is wrong," he told Reuters while walking along the bank of a river, which is also used for offerings.

The project is carried out in partnership between the Tijuca National Park, government's environmental agency Ibama, city hall, environmental and religious groups.

"We have registry of more than 100 religions that are using the forest as sacred ground," said Ana Cristina Vieira, head of the National Park of Tijuca.

"And all of them interfere with the environment in some form because most leave their offerings that become garbage."

Forest animals eat remains of food offerings, which affects their eating habits and can cause illness and death.    Continued ...

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