The Program
The Graduate Program in Plant Biodiversity and Environment (PPG-BVMA), of the Instituto de Pesquisas Ambientais (IPA), was established in 2002. The Program’s central objective is to train and improve researchers and professionals capable of acting critically, ethically, and innovatively, contributing to the advancement of knowledge and assuming leadership positions in teaching, research, and activities related to plant biodiversity and the environment. The Program develops multidisciplinary research focused on plant biodiversity, including vascular plants, bryophytes, algae, cyanobacteria, and fungi, integrating different scientific approaches, such as observational, experimental, and theoretical studies, and encompassing distinct areas of Botany and Ecology.
The research lines encompass different scales of biological and spatial organization, from molecules, genes, and organisms to populations, communities, and ecosystems, addressing both fundamental aspects of biodiversity and their applications in conservation, restoration, and sustainable use. Three research lines integrate the different approaches and areas of knowledge:
- Biodiversity in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems: systematics (phylogeny and taxonomy)
- Biodiversity in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems: morphology, biochemistry, physiology, and ecology
- Innovation and sustainable use of biodiversity: agroecology, ecological restoration, and biotechnology
The courses offered by the Program are taught by faculty members with different areas of expertise, providing broad and diverse academic training. The Program receives students from national and international institutions, expanding opportunities for academic exchange and knowledge sharing. The courses combine theoretical and practical activities, carried out in the field and in the laboratory, according to the specific characteristics of each area.
Students are integrated into the research projects developed by their supervisors and carry out their activities in the different Institutional Units, which provide infrastructure for research development. The infrastructure includes laboratories equipped with stereomicroscopes, optical microscopes, and scanning electron microscopes; laboratories dedicated to the development of molecular techniques; laboratories focused on research in plant anatomy and palynology; as well as facilities suitable for the cultivation of and research on seeds and ornamental plants. The Program also has laboratories structured for research in ecology, ecological restoration, physiology, and biochemistry, as well as a multi-user laboratory equipped with various analytical instruments. In addition, students may have access to the Botanical Garden and Conservation Units, which constitute important research areas and function as living laboratories. Students have access to several biological collections for consultation, among which the Maria Eneyda P. K. Fidalgo Herbarium stands out as one of the largest and most important herbaria in Brazil.