Rio Botanical Garden promotes Cerrado Biome Week from September 26 to 29

From September 26 to 29, the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden is holding Cerrado Biome Week, with the aim of raising public awareness about the importance of this biome, the second largest in Brazil. The program will be varied, for visitors of all ages, with talks, fun activities, exhibitions, workshops and puppet shows.

On the 26th and 27th (Thursday and Friday), starting at 9 a.m., the Environmental Education Service (SEA) will be organizing a round of talks on the biodiversity of the Cerrado for children and visitors, followed by a screening of a video by Turminha Preserva Cerrado, from the Department of Culture/Goiás. The region's ecological relationships will be the subject of the interactive Biodiversity Roulette of the Cerrado. At the end, the participants will taste a “brigadeiro” made of pequi, a fruit that is representative of the culture of central-western Brazil.

On the 26th, 27th and 28th, the public will be able to visit the Botanical Illustrations exhibition, which features, among other things, illustrations of Cerrado plants. The exhibition is open at the National School of Tropical Botany from 9am to 4pm.

The Botanical Garden Museum will be offering activities about the Cerrado over the weekend. On Saturday 28th, from 3pm to 4pm, children and adults are invited to “Planting Stories - Jatobá”, which aims to build emotional memories about the diversity of species of Brazilian flora through art, literature and traditional cultures. In this edition, the Jatobá tree will be presented from the series of paintings “Senhora das Plantas” (2022), by visual artist Rosana Paulino.

On Sunday, the 29th, the museum is promoting the Art and Nature Workshop: Flowers in Clay, which proposes a connection with nature through the making of clay sculptures, presenting a new look at the botanical species of the Cerrado. There will be several sessions, between 10.30am and 4.30pm, for groups of up to ten people.

Also on the 29th, the Papa Vento puppet theater company will present the story “The Treasure of the Cerrado” at 10am in the Children's Playground. In the story, the maned wolf and his friends find themselves in trouble because of deforestation and the advance of plantations. They discover that a greedy farmer, who only thinks about getting rich, has a map to a treasure. Together, they take the map and begin an adventure to discover the true treasure of the Cerrado, bringing joy and abundance to all.

About the Cerrado

The Cerrado covers around 2 million km², in the states of the Midwest and parts of Minas Gerais, Bahia, Maranhão, Piauí, São Paulo and Paraná, representing more than 23% of Brazil's territory. It is considered one of the world's biodiversity hotspots, with more than 12,800 species of vascular plants listed in the Flora and Fungi of Brazil and an estimated 320,000 species of fauna, according to ICMBio data. The Cerrado is also the origin of several important river basins, including the São Francisco River, but it is highly vulnerable to climate change, which can affect rainfall patterns.

Cerrado Biome Week program at the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden

Getting to know the Biodiversity of the Cerrado
September 26 and 27 (Thursday and Friday) - from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Environmental Education Service (SEA)
Access via Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008.
School groups must book in advance by e-mailing educativo@jbrj.gov.br. Individual visits do not require an appointment.
Free of charge.

Botanical Illustrations Exhibition
From 26 to 28 September (Thursday to Saturday) - from 9am to 4pm.
Location: National School of Tropical Botany (ENBT).
Access via Rua Pacheco Leão, 2040, Horto.
Free of charge.

Planting Stories: Jatobá
September 28th (Saturday) - from 3pm to 4pm
Location: Botanical Garden Museum.
Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008.
Places: 20, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Free of charge.

Art and Nature Workshop: Clay Flowers
September 29 (Sunday) - from 10.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
Venue: Botanical Garden Museum
Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008.
Places: 10 per session, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Free of charge.

Papa vento: The treasure of the Cerrado
September 29th (Sunday) - at 10am.
Location: Children's Playground.
Access via Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008 and 920, and Rua Pacheco Leão, 101 and 915 (online tickets only).
The activity is free and there is only a ticket charge for the Arboretum.

Cerrado Biome Week
From September 26 to 29, 2024
Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden
Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008, Rio de Janeiro
Tel: (21) 3874-1808