The Porto Alegre Botanical Garden is a Foundation of Rio Grande do Sul

Rio Grande do Sul

Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...

 located on the street Salvador França, in Porto Alegre

Porto Alegre

Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...

, Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

. Together with the Museum of Natural Sciences, the Botanical Garden is one of the most complete ones. This preservation area

Area

Area is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat...

 is also suitable for investigation, education and recreation. More than 100 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 can be found at this garden

Garden

A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...

. Developing environmental educational activities to make people become aware of the importance of biodiversity

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

 are taking place here. It is possible to make guided tours of the garden. And temporary as well as permanent exhibitions are held here.

History

The project for a botanical garden in Porto Alegre

Porto Alegre

Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...

 dates back to the beginning of the nineteenth century, when Dom Joao VI, after creating the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden

Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden

The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden or Jardim Botânico is located at the Jardim Botânico district in the "Zona Sul" of Rio de Janeiro....

, sent seedlings to Porto Alegre

Porto Alegre

Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...

 to establish another similar park in the city. Unfortunately these seedlings did not come to the capital, remaining trapped in Rio Grande

Rio Grande

The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...

, where they were planted. The agriculturist Paul Schoenwald subsequently donated a plot of land to the state government to establish a green area, but the project was unsuccessful.

A third attempt would be made in 1882, when councilman Francisco Pinto de Souza presented a proposal for scientific exploitation of the area then known as the Várzea de Petrópolis, providing a garden and a promenade. Considered utopian, the plan was terminated and lay dormant for decades, only returning to consideration in the mid-twentieth century.

In 1953 the 2136 law authorized the selling of an area of 81.57 hectares, of which 50 hectares would be to create a park or botanical garden. A committee, which included prominent teacher and religious figure Teodoro Luís, was formed to develop the project, which began in 1957 with the first planting of selected species: a collection of palm trees, conifers and succulent. When opened to the public on September 10 of 1958, it already featured nearly 600 species.

Soon after, in 1962, was inaugurated the oven for cacti, in the'70s and the botanical garden was integrated into Fundação Zoobotânica Foundation, along with the Park Zoo and the Museum of Natural Sciences. This season began the collection of trees, with emphasis on families of ecological importance (Myrtaceae, Rutaceae, Myrsinaceae, Bignoniaceae, Fabales, Zingiberales, among others), thematic groups (condiments and scented) and forest formations typical of the state, and is launched a program for expeditions to collect specimens and seeds.

A project linked to the Program Pro-Guaíba allowed in the 90's an improvement in the infrastructure of the Botanical Garden, where nurseries were built for bromeliads, orchids, succulent, vines and cacti

Cacti

-See also:* RRDtool The underlying software upon which Cacti is built* MRTG The original Multi Router Traffic Grapher from which RRDtool was "extracted".* Munin -External links:******...

, and reforms have taken place in the center of visitors and the administration, beyond the creation of a seed bank.

Paleontology

Museums Geopark Geopark A Geopark is defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in its UNESCO Geoparks International Network of Geoparks programme as follows:...  of Paleorrota Paleorrota Paleorrota , is a geopark located in the center of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The rocks and fossils found along the route date back to the times when there was only one supercontinent Pangaea.... .

Museum of Paleontology Irajá Damiani Pinto Porto Alegre Botanical Garden Museum of Science and Technology (PUCRS) Museum of Science and Technology (PUCRS) The Museum of Science and Technology is a Brazilian museum, located in the city of Porto Alegre in Rio Grande do Sul, on Avenida Ipiranga 6681, Building 40, Parthenon in the neighborhood, near the PUCRS. The visiting hours are from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 9am to 5pm.- Overview :The museum was... Museum of Geological History of Rio Grande do Sul Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos The Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos is a private and non-profit Jesuit university, located in São Leopoldo, in Greater Porto Alegre. It is one of the largest and most prestigious Brazilian universities... Museum Education Gama D'Eça Museum Education Gama D'Eça The Educational Museum Gama D'Eça is located in the center of Santa Maria city, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The current headquarters of the museum, located at Rua do Acamapamento Street, 81. The schedule of visits to the Museum is from Monday to Friday from 8am to 12am and from 1pm to 5pm.- Building... . Museum Vincente Pallotti Museum Vincente Pallotti The Museum Vicente Pallotti is located on Avenida Presidente Vargas, 115 in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Visits need to be scheduled in advance.- Rooms :... . Museum Aristides Carlos Rodrigues Museum Aristides Carlos Rodrigues The Museum Aristides Carlos Rodrigues is located at Avenue Pereira Rego, 1000, in the town of Candelária, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is a museum of Geopark of Paleorrota with information on the region... . Museum Paleontologic and Archaeological Walter Ilha Museum Paleontologic and Archaeological Walter Ilha The Museum Paleontologic and Archaeological Walter Ilha is located at street Rua Fernando Ferrari, 164, in the city São Pedro do Sul, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is a museum of Geopark of Paleorrota with information on the region.... . Museum Daniel Cargnin Museum Daniel Cargnin The Museum Daniel Cargnin is located at Rua do Comércio, 825 in the city of Mata, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It received its name in honor of priest and paleontologist Daniel Cargnin, which collected more than 80 percent of fossils in the region of Mata.... .

At the Museum of Natural Sciences, which is located inside the Porto Alegre Botanical Garden, there is an exhibition of fossils found in geopark

Geopark

A Geopark is defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in its UNESCO Geoparks International Network of Geoparks programme as follows:...

 of paleorrota

Paleorrota

Paleorrota , is a geopark located in the center of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The rocks and fossils found along the route date back to the times when there was only one supercontinent Pangaea....

, as well as contributing to publications on the subject.