Special edition of the Biodiversity Forum brings together specialists to discuss plants' evolution, diversity, and conservation

In celebration of National Botany Day, commemorated annually on April 17, the Botanical Garden Museum will host a special edition of the Biodiversity Forum featuring researchers Lana Sylvestre (UFRJ) and Cassia Sakuragui (JBRJ), as well as researcher Domingos Cardoso (JBRJ). The lecture will take place on Tuesday, April 14, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., in the Museum’s Multipurpose Room, with free admission, subject to capacity.

Focused on reflection regarding evolution, diversity, and plant conservation, the event offers a journey through the plant kingdom, bringing the public closer to scientific research conducted in Brazil and highlighting the importance of botany for understanding and conserving biodiversity.

A full professor at the Institute of Biology at UFRJ since 2010, Lana Sylvestre conducts research in the areas of taxonomy and evolution of lycophytes and ferns, with an emphasis on the Aspleniaceae family and the flora of the state of Rio de Janeiro. She trains researchers as a master’s and doctoral advisor in the Graduate Program in Botany at the National Museum and currently coordinates the Bachelor’s program in Plant Biology at UFRJ.

Cassia Sakuragui, who is also a full professor at UFRJ, is a researcher at the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute, where she coordinates the biological collections. She holds a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of São Paulo (USP), completed postdoctoral research at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and works on topics such as plant diversity and evolution, the use of biological collections, and the conservation of Brazilian flora, in addition to training students. She is a CNPq Productivity Fellow and a FAPERJ Young Scientist of Our State.

Domingos Cardoso is a biologist and researcher at JBRJ, with a Ph.D. in Botany from the State University of Feira de Santana (UEFS). He was a professor at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) for over ten years and conducts research in taxonomy, molecular phylogeny, floral evolution, biogeography, diversification, and bioinformatics. He is a CNPq Productivity Fellow, a FAPERJ Young Scientist of Our State, an affiliate member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, and serves on the Coordination of Flora and Fungi of Brazil.

The Biodiversity Forum is coordinated by a council of specialists from the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute (JBRJ) and promotes debate on biodiversity conservation and essential environmental issues. The event is also broadcast live on the JBRJ YouTube channel, with certificates of participation issued to the in-person audience.

Event - Biodiversity Forum – Special Edition for National Botany Day

Date: April 14 (Tuesday)

Time: 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

Location: Multipurpose Room at the Botanical Garden Museum

Capacity: 50, first-come, first-served | Free admission

Live stream on the JBRJ YouTube channel: youtube.com/jardimbotanicodoriodejaneiro

Access by Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008 – Jardim Botânico.