Ohio State University shows Brazilian nature exhibition

A FAPESP exposition covering the Brazilian biodiversity features Flora Brasiliensis, the botanical work of German Carl Philipp von Martius

Agência FAPESP – Ohio State University (OSU) and FAPESP inaugurated the Brazilian Nature—Mystery and Destiny exhibition, which covers knowledge on Brazilian diversity, on February 27th in Columbus, Ohio.

The exhibition, at the West Ballroom of The Ohio Union, will be open to the public until March 30th and was funded by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

For the opening of the exhibition, on February 27th, the OSU Biomedical Informatics Department offered a seminar called “Brazilian Nature and Our Scientific Partnerships”, which featured discussions on educational and research topics of common interest to both the United States and Brazil.

The main reference of the Brazilian nature exposition is Flora Brasiliensis, the work of German botanist Carl Philipp von Martius (1794-1868), which remains the most complete study of Brazilian flora.

With reproductions of images, illustrations and explanatory texts, the 37 panels comprising the exhibitionwere based on data from FAPESP-funded projects: Flora Brasiliensis On-line and Revisited, Flora of the Phanerogams of the State of São Paulo and the BIOTA-FAPESP program.

Representatives of the three projects helped to compile the content of the exhibition, which had successful showings at the Berlin Botanical Gardens in 2008, Bremen’s Haus der Wissenschaft in 2009, Leipzig University and the Woodrow Wilson Center (Washington, DC) in 2011. It is currently showing until June 29th at the University Museum in Heidelberg.
 
“It is important to show that Brazil is attentive to its biodiversity in a sophisticated manner, through well-organized research programs that have global impact,” said Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, Scientific Director of FAPESP.

“The strengthening of ties between the United States and Brazil is evident, both in the reciprocal visits by the nations’ two presidents, as well as in cooperative work being carried out by scientists funded by FAPESP and the NSF,” said Dr. Daniel Janies, who organized the seminar and was responsible for bringing the Brazilian nature exposition to Columbus. “Ohio State University’s relationship with Brazil continues to grow as well. For example, we have many research projects underway led jointly with Brazilian scientists. In 2012, we will hold a conference with scientists and educators from both countries and will travel to Brazil to carry out research there,” he said.

The Flora Brasiliensis On-line and Revisited project, which makes up the first part of the exhibition, represents a continuation of Martius’ work, the last volume of which was published after the author’s death in 1906.

The project made Martius’ entire work available on the internet in 2006, consisting of 10,207 pages with texts describing nearly 23,000 species and nearly 4,000 illustrations. Flora Brasiliensis On-line and Revisited includes updated versions of the original nomenclature that Martius used and includes species described after its publication, with new information and recent illustrations. The project was financed by a partnership between FAPESP, Fundação Vitae and Natura Cosmetics, and was conducted by the Reference Center on Environmental Information (CRIA), the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp) and the Missouri Botanical Garden in the United States. Flora Brasiliensis On-line is available at http://florabrasiliensis.cria.org.br.

The second part of the exhibition is dedicated to the Flora of the Phanerogams of the State of São Paulo project, begun in 1993 and involving the participation of over 200 researchers. The project draws together scientists from USP, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), the Botanical, Forestry and Agronomy Institutes and the São Paulo City Department of Parks and Green Spaces. Researchers from Embrapa, other Brazilian states and other nations contributed as well.

The third element of the exhibition goes beyond the limits of botany and deals with biodiversity on a broader scale. It follows the lines of the BIOTA-FAPESP program, the results of which have been applied as a vehicle for environmental preservation throughout São Paulo State.

The digitized panels from the Brazilian Nature exhibition can be seen (with Portuguese, English and German subtitles) at www.fapesp.br/publicacoes/braziliannature.