The Institute of Biosciences of the University of São Paulo (USP) houses one of the ten largest herbaries in Brazil, a true green jewel that preserves the history and future of Brazilian biodiversity. With about 270,000 records of plants, mosses and fungi, this scientific collection is an international reference in botanical research.
The collection includes species collected in neighborhoods of the city of São Paulo itself, and has over 23,000 records of algae alone, forming one of the largest collections of its kind in all of Latin America. Some of the samples preserved in the herbarium are over 100 years old, although there are herbariums in the world with plant records conserved almost 500 years ago.
Basis for knowledge of biodiversity
The importance of this herbarium goes beyond mere preservation. “The scientific collection within a herbarium is the basis for our biodiversity knowledge,” explains Marcelo De MuCchi, one of the Institute’s researchers.
The process of collection, identification and cataloging of samples by botanists and taxonomists is fundamental for the production of scientific works and the description of new species.
Recently, the USP herbarium has received a valuable addition: the collection of renowned botanist Goro Hashimoto. There are 43,000 plants, including rare species and some that no longer exist in Brazilian nature, such as those that were part of the area now submerged by the Itaipu hydroelectric plant dam.
International collaboration and conservation
The USP herbarium does not act in isolation. He is part of an international scientific data exchange network, contributing to global studies on environmental changes. Samples preserved here can assist in the preservation of forests in other parts of the world.
“We compare this past data with the present and can identify a lot of information about preservation,” says De MuCchi. This information is crucial to restoration programs, allowing the use of adequate species in conservation projects, especially in biomes such as the cerrado.
This content was originally published in USP herbarium preserves more than 270,000 species on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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