Brazil&#39;s political-financial crisis and the threat to Biological Collections

Rodrigo Feitosa

Brazil's political-financial crisis and the threat to Biological Collections

Science eLetters, 2019

The recent political crisis in Brazil and its consequences on human rights and environment have been occupying the front pages of international newspapers. Particularly, the cuts in the funds for the maintenance of Public Universities, independent of ideology or need, is threatening our biodiversity knowledge. The major part of Brazilian biological collections is hosted by Public Universities. Without basic maintenance there is an imminent potential of a catastrophic deterioration on such collections, leading to the loss of decades of knowledge and millions of dollars in Scientific Investment. Brazilian and international communities need to mobilize themselves against such a policy....Read more

22/07/2019 Brazil's biodiversity researchers need help | Science https://science.sciencemag.org/content/364/6446/1144.2/tab-e-letters?fbclid=IwAR3vAM5Yxv9XfT5Lp1sDv_X9C01_8SPLoqEHuQ2v9LSrPg5sf1… 1/7 LETTERS Brazil's biodiversity researchers need help Maria Tereza Chiarioni Thomé , Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad + See all authors and aｨliations Science 21 Jun 2019: Vol. 364, Issue 6446, pp. 1144-1145 DOI: 10.1126/science.aax9478 Article Info & Metrics eLetters PDF eLetters is an online forum for ongoing peer review. Submission of eLetters are open to all. eLetters are not edited, proofread, or indexed. Please read our Terms of Service before submitting your own eLetter. Submit a Response to This Article Brazil’s political –ｦnancial crisis and the threat to Biological Collections Thiago Junqueira Izzo, Associate Professor, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Instituto de Biociências, Cuiabá-MT, CEP-78060-900, Brazil Other Contributors: Rodrigo Machado Feitosa, Adjunct professor,     1,* 2  Advertisement Become a Member Log In ScienceMag.org

22/07/2019 Brazil's biodiversity researchers need help | Science https://science.sciencemag.org/content/364/6446/1144.2/tab-e-letters?fbclid=IwAR3vAM5Yxv9XfT5Lp1sDv_X9C01_8SPLoqEHuQ2v9LSrPg5sf1… 2/7 2Universidade Federal do Paraná, Departamento de Zoologia, Caixa Postal 19020, Curitiba – PR, CEP 81531-980, Brazil (3 July 2019) Abstract: The recent political crisis in Brazil and its consequences on human rights and environment have been occupying the front pages of international newspapers. Particularly, the cuts in the funds for the maintenance of Public Universities, independent of ideology or need, is threatening our biodiversity knowledge. The major part of Brazilian biological collections is hosted by Public Universities. Without basic maintenance there is an imminent potential of a catastrophic deterioration on such collections, leading to the loss of decades of knowledge and millions of dollars in Scientiｦc Investment. Brazilian and international communities need to mobilize themselves against such a policy. Letter: Brazil´s political crisis is bringing attention and concern around the world (1). The Brazilian Academy is being affected by an ideological crusade against areas associated by the present government to the left-wing. Therefore, several cuts in governmental spending are being carried out in the name of balancing the economy (1-2). Although such cuts hypothetically are effective on the ｦnancial balance, in the short term they bring harmful consequences once will affect research fellowships, grants, water and energy supplies, security and cleaning services in Federal Public Universities (2). Usually, the major part of Biological Collections is maintained by University funds. Biological collections are priceless to a nation by hosting tissues, genetic material and representants of the fauna and ｧora collected and studied over decades by hundreds of Scientists from all over the world. Particularly in the tropics the curatorial maintenance is critical, as the high temperature and humidity can rapidly destroy samples (3-4). Even being unsustainable in long term, few collections have power generators and the associated researchers potentially can raise money to keep same functioning. However, there is an imminent risk of losing the material preserved in collection of small universities, including those situated close to deforestation areas (3), where several species are not even known by science. Another predicable consequence of the cuts is the inevitable decrease in the number of molecular biologists, geneticists, taxonomists and systematist professionals formed in Brazilian Universities. This means the loss of one generation of scientists describing, studying, preserving specimens and supporting Conservation of the massive Brazilian Biodiversity (5). To avoid a predictable disaster, such was the ｦre in the National Museum in Rio (6), Brazilian and international scientists should impose pressure on government to avoid such loss of the biodiversity knowledge, which should be considered as a crime against humanity. References: (1) M.T.C. Thome, C.F.B. Haddad. Brazil's biodiversity researchers need help. Science. 364, 1144- 1145 (2019). (2) V. Barbara. Who Needs the Humanities When You Have Jair Bolsonaro? New York Times (2019). Available on: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/opinion/education-cuts-brazil- bolsona... (3) A.C. Marques, C.J.E. Lamas. Taxonomia zoológica no Brasil: estado da arte, Become a Member Log In ScienceMag.org

22/07/2019 Brazil's biodiversity researchers need help | Science Log In Become a Member ScienceMag.org Advertisement     LETTERS Brazil's biodiversity researchers need help Maria Tereza Chiarioni Thomé1,*, Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad2 + See all authors and a liations Science 21 Jun 2019: Vol. 364, Issue 6446, pp. 1144-1145 DOI: 10.1126/science.aax9478 Article Info & Metrics eLetters  PDF eLetters is an online forum for ongoing peer review. Submission of eLetters are open to all. eLetters are not edited, proofread, or indexed. Please read our Terms of Service before submitting your own eLetter. Submit a Response to This Article Brazil’s political – nancial crisis and the threat to Biological Collections Thiago Junqueira Izzo, Associate Professor, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Instituto de Biociências, Cuiabá-MT, CEP-78060-900, Brazil Other Contributors: Rodrigo Machado Feitosa, Adjunct professor, https://science.sciencemag.org/content/364/6446/1144.2/tab-e-letters?fbclid=IwAR3vAM5Yxv9XfT5Lp1sDv_X9C01_8SPLoqEHuQ2v9LSrPg5sf1… 1/7 22/07/2019 Brazil's biodiversity researchers need help | Science 2Universidade Federal do Paraná, Departamento de Zoologia, Caixa Postal 19020, Curitiba – PR, Log In ScienceMag.org Become a Member CEP 81531-980, Brazil (3 July 2019) Abstract: The recent political crisis in Brazil and its consequences on human rights and environment have been occupying the front pages of international newspapers. Particularly, the cuts in the funds for the maintenance of Public Universities, independent of ideology or need, is threatening our biodiversity knowledge. The major part of Brazilian biological collections is hosted by Public Universities. Without basic maintenance there is an imminent potential of a catastrophic deterioration on such collections, leading to the loss of decades of knowledge and millions of dollars in Scienti c Investment. Brazilian and international communities need to mobilize themselves against such a policy. Letter: Brazil´s political crisis is bringing attention and concern around the world (1). The Brazilian Academy is being affected by an ideological crusade against areas associated by the present government to the left-wing. Therefore, several cuts in governmental spending are being carried out in the name of balancing the economy (1-2). Although such cuts hypothetically are effective on the nancial balance, in the short term they bring harmful consequences once will affect research fellowships, grants, water and energy supplies, security and cleaning services in Federal Public Universities (2). Usually, the major part of Biological Collections is maintained by University funds. Biological collections are priceless to a nation by hosting tissues, genetic material and representants of the fauna and ora collected and studied over decades by hundreds of Scientists from all over the world. Particularly in the tropics the curatorial maintenance is critical, as the high temperature and humidity can rapidly destroy samples (3-4). Even being unsustainable in long term, few collections have power generators and the associated researchers potentially can raise money to keep same functioning. However, there is an imminent risk of losing the material preserved in collection of small universities, including those situated close to deforestation areas (3), where several species are not even known by science. Another predicable consequence of the cuts is the inevitable decrease in the number of molecular biologists, geneticists, taxonomists and systematist professionals formed in Brazilian Universities. This means the loss of one generation of scientists describing, studying, preserving specimens and supporting Conservation of the massive Brazilian Biodiversity (5). To avoid a predictable disaster, such was the re in the National Museum in Rio (6), Brazilian and international scientists should impose pressure on government to avoid such loss of the biodiversity knowledge, which should be considered as a crime against humanity. References: (1) M.T.C. Thome, C.F.B. Haddad. Brazil's biodiversity researchers need help. Science. 364, 11441145 (2019). (2) V. Barbara. Who Needs the Humanities When You Have Jair Bolsonaro? New York Times (2019). Available on: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/opinion/education-cuts-brazilbolsona... (3) A.C. Marques, C.J.E. Lamas. Taxonomia zoológica no Brasil: estado da arte, https://science.sciencemag.org/content/364/6446/1144.2/tab-e-letters?fbclid=IwAR3vAM5Yxv9XfT5Lp1sDv_X9C01_8SPLoqEHuQ2v9LSrPg5sf1… 2/7 22/07/2019 Brazil's biodiversity researchers need help | Science expectativas e sugestões de ações futuras. Pap. Avul. Zool. 46,139-174 (2006) Log In Become a Member ScienceMag.org (4) M. deVivo et al. Re exões sobre coleções zoológicas, sua curadoria e a inserção dos museus na estrutura universitária brasileira. Arq. Zool. 45, 105‑114 (2014) (5) S.A. Thomson et al. Taxonomy based on science is necessary for global conservation. PLoS. Biol. 16, e2005075 (2018). (6) H. Escobar. In a ‘foretold tragedy,’ re consumes Brazil museum. Science. 361, 960 (2018) Show Less Competing Interests: None declared. View Full Text Science Vol 364, Issue 6446 21 June 2019 Table of Contents Print Table of Contents Advertising (PDF) Classi ed (PDF) Masthead (PDF) ARTICLE TOOLS     Email Save to my folders Alerts    Print Request Permissions Citation tools Share Advertisement https://science.sciencemag.org/content/364/6446/1144.2/tab-e-letters?fbclid=IwAR3vAM5Yxv9XfT5Lp1sDv_X9C01_8SPLoqEHuQ2v9LSrPg5sf1… 3/7