Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden - 216 years old

The 216th anniversary of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden was celebrated with activities for the public, staff, students and guests on Thursday, June 13, 2024.

The novelty was the Frei Leandro Trail, specially designed for this date, in the year that marks the 200th anniversary of the beginning of Frei Leandro do Sacramento's (1779-1829) management of the Botanical Garden. Visitors were able to take advantage of the sunny fall morning to see 10 emblematic species from the time of Friar Leandro, who was the first director of the JBRJ to have a degree in botany. His administration was marked by important works, the introduction of native species and research and education.

Also on Thursday morning, the Military Police of the State of Rio de Janeiro inaugurated the Bairro Presente program module next to the JBRJ Gate, located at Rua Pacheco Leão, 915. This is the 60th module of the program, which now has teams on site 24 hours a day. The ceremony was attended by the Secretary of State for the Military Police, Colonel Marcelo de Menezes Nogueira, the commander of the 23rd Military Police Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Ludogero da Silva Neto, Marcelo Maynard, representing the Rio de Janeiro State Government Secretariat, presidents and representatives of the residents' associations in the surrounding neighborhoods and the president and directors of the JBRJ, among others.

In his speech, the president of the JBRJ, Sergio Besserman Vianna, emphasized that the initiative was built jointly, with dialogue and mutual understanding. Nogueira thanked the JBRJ for its commitment to the project, which will bring more security to residents of the neighborhood and to visitors to the Garden.

In the afternoon, the JBRJ celebrated the anniversary with a visit by staff and guests to the Sensory Garden, which reopens to the public this Friday, June 14. The celebration was attended by the deputy director general of the Brazilian Forest Service, Marcus Vinicius da Silva Alves, and the president of IBAMA, Rodrigo Agostinho - representing the Minister for the Environment and Climate Change Marina Silva. Afterwards, civil servants, employees and guests took a guided walk on the Frei Leandro Trail. During the congratulatory get-together in the lobby of the Herbarium, Sergio Besserman Vianna emphasized the importance of the mission of the JBRJ staff, whose work contributes to meeting the challenge posed by the current ecological crisis.