Caatinga Week at the Rio Botanical Garden celebrates the biodiversity and culture of the Northeast

The Caatinga Biome Week brings visitors to the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden a program full of activities that celebrate the biological and cultural richness of this biome - the only one that is exclusively Brazilian. From April 27 to May 2, the JBRJ is organizing trails, exhibitions, workshops and other attractions related to the plants and popular traditions of the inhabitants of the Caatinga.

This weekend (April 27 and 28), the Botanical Garden Museum is offering the activity Planting Stories: Umbuzeiro. Known as the “sacred tree of the sertão”, the Umbuzeiro will be the subject of a narrative that visitors will help to tell, with drawings and imagination. The activity starts at 3pm in the Museum's Garden for Everyone area and will have 20 places, on a first-come, first-served basis.

On Sunday ( April 28) - National Caatinga Day - the Domingo no Jardim series presents musician Marcelo Caldi, one of the most renowned accordion players of his generation, carrying on the legacy of masters such as Luiz Gonzaga, Dominguinhos and Sivuca, among others. The concert will take place at 11 a.m. in front of the bust of D. João VI, in the Arboretum.
From Monday to Thursday ( April 29 to May 2), JBRJ's Environmental Education Service (SEA) will be offering various activities for children and teenagers aged 6 to 17. There will be Cordel making using the Xylography technique, using native species representative of the biome, as well as interactive games and the distribution of booklets on the Caatinga. The SEA is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is located behind the ticket office, with access via Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008. 30 people can take part in each activity.

The book exhibition “Treasures of the Caatinga: A Literary Journey through the Sertão” will be at the Barbosa Rodrigues Library on April 29 and 30 and May 2 and 3 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday), from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.. Visitors will be able to explore rare works and documents that reveal the richness and diversity of this biome. From old books to contemporary research, the Barbosa Rodrigues Library offers a deep dive into the history, flora and fauna of the Caatinga.

Trails - On Monday, visitors will be able to take part in the Guided Trail in the Cactarium, leaving at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The curator of the collection, Thiago Favares, will present species of cacti native to the Caatinga and cultivated in the Cactarium at JBRJ, talking about their characteristics, environment of origin and the challenges of cultivating these species next to an area of Atlantic Forest. There will be 15 places per time slot.
The Caatinga Trail will take place on Tuesday ( April 30), with departures at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. During the visit, researcher Marcus Nadruz will present species typical of this biome that are cultivated in the Botanical Garden's Arboretum. The activity can accommodate up to 40 people per time slot.

To take part in the trails, you need to register at the Visitor Center by phone (21) 3874-1808, email cvis@jbrj.gov.br or in person. The trails are free and only the entrance ticket to the Arboretum is charged.

In addition to these activities, there will also be information and support material available from the Visitor Center team during the event. And various products with illustrations by the artist Márcia Quintela on the theme of the biome will be on sale in the souvenir store of the Association of Friends of the Botanical Garden - AAJB.

The Caatinga covers an area of 844,453 km2, about 11% of the Brazilian territory, encompassing all the states of the Northeast and the north of Minas Gerais. It is home to more than 27 million people and more than 5,200 plant species. The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden works in this biome through the National Center for Flora Conservation (CNCFlora/JBRJ), as part of the Conservation, Restoration and Management Strategies for the Biodiversity of the Caatinga, Pampa and Pantanal Project (GEF Terrestrial). The project includes drawing up a National Action Plan for the Conservation of Endangered Flora (PAN), a map of Priority Areas for the Conservation and Restoration of Endangered Brazilian Flora Ecosystems, an assessment of the conservation status of endemic Brazilian flora species, scientific expeditions in priority areas and the development of an information panel for the analysis, synthesis and availability of data on endangered species in the Caatinga.

PROGRAMMING:

Planting stories: Umbuzeiro - 27th and 28th, Saturday and Sunday, at 3pm, at the Botanical Garden Museum. Free admission, with tickets available from jbrj.eleventickets.com

Sunday in the Garden: Marcelo Caldi - on April 28, Sunday, at 11 a.m., in front of the bust of King João VI. There is a ticket charge for the Arboretum

Exhibition “Treasures of the Caatinga: A Literary Journey through the Sertão” - 29 and April 30 and May 2 and 3 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday), from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., at the Barbosa Rodrigues Library. Free admission.

Cordel making, games and distribution of booklets - April 29 and April 30 and May 2 (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday), from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. - at the Environmental Education Service - SEA. Free admission.

Guided trail in the Cactarium - Monday April 29 at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Meeting point: Visitor Center. Free activity with an entrance fee for the Arboretum.

Caatinga Trail - Tuesday, April 30, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Meeting point: Visitor Center. Free activity with an entrance fee for the Arboretum.

Service
Caatinga Biome Week at the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden
From April 27th to May 2nd, 2024
Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008
Tel: (21) 3874-1808

Entrance fee to the Arboretum:
Visitors living in the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Area: R$ 18.00
Visitors living in Brazil: R$ 29,00
Foreign visitors from Mercosur: R$ 55,00
Foreign visitors: R$ 73,00

Students, people with disabilities and people over 60 are entitled to half-price tickets, on presentation of a supporting document. Children under 5 do not pay.

Payment at the box office in cash only. Tickets online at jbrj.eleventickets.com with pix or credit card.

There is no entrance fee for the Museum, the Library and the Environmental Education Service.