Guided trail explores the waterways of the Rio Botanical Garden and highlights how the arboretum's water system transforms the environment

After the driest month ever recorded in the city of Rio de Janeiro, the waters of March bring the hope of more rainy days and milder temperatures. At the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, in February, with the intense heat, the work of watering the plants was reinforced with the use of water kites.

The activity was made possible thanks to the rainwater supply system that irrigates the arboretum, using water from the Atlantic Forest channel from the Rio dos Macacos. Created in the colonial period, the system is still in operation today. The initiative was taken by Friar Leandro do Sacramento, the institution's first botanical director, who was responsible for important transformations in the arboretum.

This Friday (21/3), the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden is offering a guided trail called “The waters of the Botanical Garden” to people interested in learning about the arboretum's waterways. The route includes waterfalls, buildings used to grow aquatic plants, such as lakes, and monuments full of history about the Garden's water system.

The tour takes place the day before World Water Day, March 22, created by the United Nations (UN) to draw attention to the planet's water resources.

The trail ends at the Levada Aqueduct, a monument built in 1853 to supply the Botanical Garden, its waterfalls, lakes and fountains. It is one of the few small aqueducts in Rio and a landmark in the history of the city's evolution.

Until it was built, the water in the Garden was conveyed by a wooden flume, the origin of which dates back to the 16th century supply of the Engenho de Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Lagoa (now the Visitor Center) and, after 1808, to the movement of the water wheels of the gunpowder factory created by Dom João that year. The area marks the boundary of the arboretum with the region of secondary Atlantic rainforest, which covers the surrounding hillside in continuity with the Tijuca National Park.

The Green Area's Conservation Coordinator, Martha Ronchini, highlights the sustainability of the arboretum's water supply system.

- The water comes out of the Rio dos Macacos, runs through the entire arboretum, supplies the lakes, feeds the waterfalls, flows through the fountain, without the need for a pump, powered only by the weight of the water, and returns to the Rio dos Macacos, at the height of Rua General Garzon, continuing on to the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, and making the system highly sustainable - she says, pointing out that when all the channels are open, the climate inside the Garden changes. “The passage of water increases the humidity of the environment, making it more pleasant. On hot days, this continuous circulation of water significantly benefits the garden's ecosystem,” adds Martha Ronchini.

The trail will start at 10am at the Visitor Center and will be led by the teams from the Environmental Education Service and the Green Area Conservation Coordination. There is no need to register. The activity is free, with only an entrance fee for the arboretum.