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LAND OF DIVERSITY BOUNTIFUL BRAZIL Rainforest packed with an enormous diversity of plants cloaks the edges of the Iguaçu Falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina Kew’s Brazil-themed Orchids festival is now in full bloom in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. Christina Harrison invites you inside to enjoy this exuberant and colourful carnival of plants and discover this vast country’s unique and diverse flora Bright and colourful orchids and bromeliads fill the Princess of Wales Conservatory during the Orchids festival LAND OF DIVERSITY W ith the weather still cold and the days still short, it’s only natural to be yearning for warmer, more exotic climes. But there’s no need to pack your bags just yet, as you can immerse yourself in a Brazilian carnival of colour right now at Kew. So throw off your winter coat and come and join the party at the Orchids festival. Enter the Princess of Wales Conservatory and you’ll encounter the vibrant flora of Brazil, in all its amazing diversity. The towering pillars are draped with exotic orchids, while carnival dancers created from tropical flowers samba across the central pool. It’s a dazzling spectacle, offering a taste of the many wonders of this incredible and vast nation. Brazil is the most biodiverse country on Earth, with six major types of ecosystem in distinct regions (known as biomes), including tropical rainforest, grasslands, dry woodlands and extensive wetlands. It is home to more than 46,000 species of plants and fungi, of which just over 19,500 grow nowhere else. There are more than 2,500 species of orchids, a vast diversity of palms, towering hardwood trees, and valuable crops including the Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa). Brazil itself is named after the leguminous tree known locally as pau brasil (Caesalpinia echinata), which is an important source of timber, and new Brazilian plant species continue to be discovered almost every day. So what better 28 KEW SPRING 2016 way to celebrate the joyful and colourful nature of this country than by putting on a botanical carnival? Brazilian orchids are at the heart of the displays, including the starry blooms of Odontoglossum, Miltonia and Oncidium in the lush tropical zone. Alongside these you’ll find a stunning range of weird and wonderful bromeliads, other tropical plants such as glossy Anthurium and lush-leaved Philodendron, and even an area of mangroves – each adding layers of luxuriant form and foliage, and representing the important types of flora and habitats of Brazil. Continue your journey through the glasshouse and you’ll enter different climates that are home to different types of plants. In the arid climate zone you’ll see important and rare cacti from Brazil, while exquisite species of orchids from the Atlantic Forest are displayed in the two orchid zones. So take your time and enjoy a sensory introduction to the striking flora and natural beauty of this vibrant South American country. Most people picture the lush beauty of the Amazon rainforest when they think of Brazil, but the flora of this country is much more diverse and delightful than this one type of forest. Alongside the Amazon biome, and occupying much of the centre of Brazil, is the Cerrado – a biodiversity hotspot that is considered one of the richest savannahs in the world, with an estimated 12,000 plant species. Next to this, in the north east of the country, lies the Caatinga – a tropical K E W. O R G Photos: Inge Johnsson/Alamy (p26–27), Amazon-Images/Alamy, William MIlliken, Jeff Eden Brazil’s ecosystems range from primary tropical rainforest (left) to dry scrubland known as Cerrado (below), each with its own unique plant species semi-arid scrub forest whose name means ‘white forest’ in the indigenous Tupi-Guarani language. This is home to a complex community of cacti, legumes and bromeliads, adapted to live in the hot dry conditions. The Caatinga is one of the least protected regions of Brazil, with only two per cent designated as reserves. The Atlantic Forest, which runs in a band down the eastern side of the country, is Brazil’s other great rainforest. Known for its array of endemic species, this biome has suffered hundreds of years of habitat loss and deforestation, leaving a highly fragmented landscape with only about eight per cent of its original forest cover intact. Many research and conservation projects are under way in this region. Along the coast itself is the largest continuous stretch of mangrove forest in the world, and in the very south of the K E W. O R G country lies the Pampa biome, whose wide plains of swaying grasses have long been exploited for beef production. One final terrestrial biome, a vast wetland region of seasonally flooded grasslands, is found to the south west of the Amazon, and is known as the Pantanal. This special area is so important that it has been classified by UNESCO as a Natural World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve. Each of these biomes is full of highly adapted plants, and it’s the sum of these parts that makes Brazil so stunningly rich in biodiversity. Kew has long had a close partnership with a wide range of Brazilian institutes, universities, NGOs, government departments, associations of indigenous peoples, and of course the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, working on a vast array of research and conservation projects. These range KEW SPRING 2016 29 Kew’s partnerships in Brazil Each of Brazil’s biomes has a complex ecology where many species have evolved to depend on each other Kew works in collaboration with Brazilian partners on many important projects, including: Restoring the Atlantic Forest The Atlantic Forest covers just over eight per cent of its original range, but still has a high density of unique plants and fungi. Kew has been working with two universities in Bahia to develop an online information resource to support the restoration of this fragmented forest. It includes an inventory of plant species and details of their ecology. Photos: William Milliken, RBG Kew Kew scientists work with Brazilian partners in the field to study, map and conserve the native flora from plant collecting and seed banking to creating shared online resources to help increase knowledge about the native flora (see panel opposite). There is still much to learn: each of Brazil’s biomes has a complex ecology where many species have evolved to depend on each other, and species become vulnerable when these relationships are disturbed. Sir Ghillean Prance, a former director of Kew and authority on rainforest ecology, realised after years of research that the Brazil nut harvest in the Amazon was reliant on the health of surrounding plants. The Brazil nut tree depends on euglossine bees to pollinate its flowers, and the female bees will only mate with males that have successfully gathered a cocktail of scents from various orchid species that grow nearby. If the orchids are removed during logging or other human activities, the bees disappear too and the Brazil nut harvest fails. This is one of the main reasons why plantations of Brazil nut trees have never been very fruitful outside the Amazon. LAND OF DIVERSITY More recently, much research has been done on the pea and myrtle families (Leguminosae and Myrtaceae), which include some of the most important tree species in the Atlantic Forest. In 2015 alone, Kew scientists described 22 new species in the myrtle family. Meanwhile, studies of the cacti of the Caatinga have shown them to be among the most threatened cacti species in the world. One of the most ambitious projects for Kew is Reflora, which is co-ordinated by Brazil’s National Council for Scientific and Technological Development and aims to give open access to information on Brazilian plant diversity by digitising (databasing and photographing) specimens of Brazilian plants in collections outside the country. The enormous amount of data held in these collections is being assembled into one vast ‘virtual herbarium’, hosted by Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden. Kew has digitised most of its Brazilian specimens, and by March 200,000 images will be freely available online. Supported by the Reflora programme, more than 100 Brazilian researchers and students have been to Kew on study visits and have since authored over 170 scientific papers, many in close collaboration with Kew staff. More than 100 species new to science have also been described as a result. Online tools such as the Reflora Virtual Herbarium are hugely important in helping to understand, protect and restore Brazil’s flora for the benefit of everyone. Because the wild and wonderful nature of Brazil is under constant threat from habitat loss and climate change, as well » Conservation in the Amazon Kew scientists have explored the flora of the Amazon’s ‘arc of deforestation’ in northern Mato Grosso to help support management plans for private and stateprotected reserves. They have also supported habitat restoration and longterm conservation programmes working with rural communities. Banking and studying the seeds of native plants For decades Kew has been working with Brazil to protect native species through seed banking. This also includes training Brazilian students in seed banking and conducting joint research. One project is undertaking detailed studies of the seeds of 20 Amazon tree species to help increase germination rates for restoration projects. Researching the wild relatives of crops The wild relatives of legume crops are one potential solution to future sustainable food production for a growing population in a time of climate change. This is a major aspect of current research in Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank. Securing the sustainable use of fuel wood The Fuelwood Project tested different harvesting techniques on several tree species (mostly legumes) favoured as fuel by local people. After years of experiments, scientists found that most trees regenerated best if they were cut during the dry season, over a relatively long cutting cycle. These findings can help to ensure a much more sustainable supply of fuel, minimising impact on the Caatinga. Gathering information on all Brazilian plants and fungi Working with Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, Kew is contributing information and expertise to build an online list of all plants and fungi in Brazil. This has so far involved more than 500 taxonomists around the world. Other projects are focusing on the study of endangered cacti and forest plant families to work towards their conservation. Collecting traditional plant knowledge to help indigenous communities Research into the traditional medicinal plant knowledge of the Yanomami people recently resulted in the publication of a plant use manual, published by the Yanomami in their own language. The programme will be extended to other communities to ensure this valuable information remains available to future generations. Studying tropical forest ecology Kew scientists are working with Brazilian partners to better understand the ecology of the country’s tropical forests. Studies into the flowering and fruiting times of certain species under the effects of climate change allow predictions to be made, and help to identify which groups of plants can be used as indicators of change for the whole ecosystem. Assessing the threats to plant species Kew is helping to assess the threats to Brazil’s plant species for inclusion on the IUCN’s Red List (see also p34). Once threats are known and assessed, conservation action plans for species can be devised. Kew scientists also contribute to many other projects, from creating field guides and vegetation mapping to supporting reserve management plans and helping to train botanists and botanical artists from Brazil (see also p57). You can read Kew’s Science Strategy at kew.org/science-conservation. — Kew would like to thank all the generous supporters of its vital science and conservation work, including the UK Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, the Newton Fund PDE Programme managed by the British Council, and numerous Brazilian co-funders co-ordinated by Brazil’s National Council for Scientific and Technological Development. 30 KEW SPRING 2016 K E W. O R G K E W. O R G KEW SPRING 2016 31 LAND OF DIVERSITY LIVING ON THIN AIR Photo: RBG Kew Discover Brazil’s high-rise plants as pests and diseases, the need for research and conservation is ever increasing. Much of Brazil’s future prosperity and cultural richness may rely on the decisions and actions taken now to preserve its natural heritage. The health of Brazil’s biodiversity affects us all – plants and fungi are precious resources that may provide answers to many of the challenges currently facing humanity. Much new positive conservation work is being announced by many different organisations, but the urgency remains clear. The State of the World’s Plants, a new report from Kew that will be published in May, will highlight Brazil as one of the most important botanical regions for research. As you walk through the spectacular displays in the Princess of Wales Conservatory and enjoy the richness and colourful beauty of this country’s flora, you’ll understand why Kew is so passionate about conserving these plants, and why they’re well worth celebrating. — Christina Harrison is editor of Kew magazine Tropical orchids and bromeliads cover the pillars in the humid Conservatory, mimicking the way their wild relatives grow in the rainforest — Kew’s Orchids festival runs until 6 March – see p71 for details of the festival and related events, including courses, tours and talks. — You can find out much more about Kew’s science at kew.org. To support this vital work, go to kew.org/support. K E W. O R G Many of the orchids and bromeliads on display at Kew are classed as epiphytes. They don’t root into the soil – instead they often perch on branches high up in the tree canopy, where they can access more light and moisture. Individual bromeliads, or several growing in close proximity, can create their own mini-habitats, which may become home to insects, invertebrates and even amphibians. Tree frogs sometimes colonise the water that collects in the centre of many bromeliads. There are around 3,000 species in the family Bromeliaceae, almost all of which come from the New World. Kew’s collection includes endangered species such as Vriesea hieroglyphica from Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, which is now thought to be extinct in the wild. Most bromeliads love warmth and humidity, and many are epiphytes. Look out for species and cultivars of air plants (Tillandsia), tufted air plants (Guzmania), urn plants (Aechmea) and vibrant Vriesea in Kew’s displays. KEW SPRING 2016 33