Botanical Garden, 360° Video, Inhotim Institute

Inhotim’s gardens are unique, with rare beauty and landscaping that exploits all the aesthetic possibilities of the botanical collection. In addition to contemplation, the gardens are a field for floristic studies, cataloging of new botanical species, conservation in situ (their environment) and ex situ (outside their environment) and environmental education actions. In 2010, the Inhotim Institute received the Botanical Garden seal, awarded by the National Commission of Botanical Gardens (CNJB), and since then has been part of the Brazilian Network of Botanical Gardens (RNJB).

Botanical garden
The botanical garden has 4,300 species under cultivation – a mark hit in 2011 – and is surrounded by native forest, with 30 percent of the entire collection on display to the public (about 102 hectares in 2011).

In recognition of the need to preserve the 145 hectares of reserve, the institute received from the Ministry of the Environment in February 2011 the official classification of botanical garden in category C. In this garden there are about 1,500 species. cataloged palm tree , the largest collection of its kind in the world. The park houses several rare plants, both native and exotic .

The Institute is the only place in Latin America that has a copy of the corpse flower , a native species from Asia known as the largest flower in the world. The specimen first flourished on December 15, 2010, and again on December 27, 2012.The flower is in the Educator Nursery in the Equatorial Greenhouse, was exposed to the public, and could be visited by interested parties. and curious.

Inhotim Botanical Garden (JBI) maintains, propagates and provides studies with botanical species from its collection of approximately 5,000 species, representing more than 28% of the known botanical families on the planet. The emphasis of JBI’s work is on endangered species, the conservation of genetic resources and the disposal of species in a scenic way. The introduction of landscape little known species is one of the strategies used to publicize and make visitors aware of the importance of plant biodiversity for human survival.

RPPN Inhotim
In addition to the 140-hectare visitation area, the Inhotim Institute has a 145-hectare Inhotim Natural Heritage Private Reserve (RPPN) area in the Atlantic Forest domain. The RPPN is made up of remnants of the Montana Semideciduous Seasonal Forest, found in different stages of ecological succession and some savannah tops in the tops of the mountains. In the area, more than a thousand species of vascular plants, a wide floristic diversity and three springs are found. The Inhotim RPPN was recognized in May 2010 by the federal government through the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio).

Botanical Collection
The Inhotim Institute’s botanical collection is represented by groups with landscape value and exhibits significant phylogenetic representativeness. In all, there are about 5,000 accessions, representing 181 botanical families, 953 genera and just over 4,200 species of vascular plants. Such diversity makes the Inhotim Botanical Garden (JBI) a unique space, having the largest collection in number of living plant species among the Brazilian botanical gardens.

Inhotim has one of the most relevant palm tree collections in the world, with approximately 1,400 species, over 1,800 accessions and a total of more than 20,000 individuals (including seedlings and adult individuals). The Araceae collection, a family that includes imbés, anthuriums and calla lilies, is the largest in Latin America, with over 600 accessions and about 450 species. Orchids are represented by approximately 420 accessions and have over 330 species.

The botanical collection maintained at the JBI contributes to ex situ conservation (outside its environment), as it maintains and promotes the replication of a large number of species, some of them already endangered in their habitat. Moreover, within the philosophy of botanical gardens, Inhotim maintains partnerships with various institutions and seeks to promote exchanges between collections, allowing future stages of reintroduction of these species in their natural environments.

During the Rio +20 Conference, held in 2012, the JBI, in conjunction with the Brazilian Network of Botanical Gardens (RBJB), launched the Flora Ex Situ National Conservation System, an interactive platform in which 46 Brazilian institutions register and share the endangered species from their holdings. In addition, the platform allows the follow-up of the Global Plant Conservation Strategy Goal, established by the United Nations (UN). The official survey of the collection began in January 2009, in parallel with the tipping of new accesses.

Landscaping
JBI’s landscaping, that is, the arrangement of the botanical collection within the visitation area, exploits aesthetic standards as a popular awareness tool on the importance of biodiversity. Although it cannot be framed in a unique style, some principles can be observed in Inhotim’s landscaping, such as the preference for the use of large massifs or patches of species that take advantage of the effect caused by clustering. The landscaping of the gardens has been developed by many professionals throughout Inhotim’s history. Among them, Pedro Nehring, who collaborates since the foundation of the Institute and is the main landscape designer responsible for enriching and updating their gardens; and Luiz Carlos Orsini, responsible for the 25-hectare landscape project between 2000 and 2004.

Surprise as a landscape language is also another widely used principle, with curves or passages that suddenly unfurl new perspectives. There is also the permanent search to expand the landscape vocabulary. Introducing unfamiliar species into gardens is also a priority for presenting plants that, despite their rare beauty, are hardly used in landscape projects around the world. Thus, even though Inhotim’s landscaping clearly obeys aesthetic standards, the variety of species is simultaneous – and widely used in environmental education activities.

Botanical Curation
The botanical curatorship organizes the growth of the Inhotim Botanical Garden (JBI) collection, both in relation to the conservation of species and the availability of the existing collection and the strategic definition of the guidelines for new species acquisitions. Articulated with the curatorship of art, architects and technical area, the botanical curatorship actively participates in the projects of installation of new open-air works, galleries and pavilions, defining the botanical and landscape project around the artistic collection. The integration of these areas ensures an absolutely harmonious relationship between nature and contemporary art.

Nursery Educator
In the gardens of the Viveiro Educador space, activities are carried out to maintain the botanical collection, scientific research, conservation and environmental education. A selected portion of Inhotim’s entire botanical collection is represented in the gardens of the space that occupies an area of ​​approximately 25,000 m².

The concept of space goes beyond the cultivation of botanical species and scientific research. At Viveiro Educador, information and practice contribute to the construction of knowledge, environmental awareness and popularization of science in a playful and interactive way. The path between plant species from around the world allows the visitor to contact with different experiences involving the plant kingdom, its different groups and varied forms. Extravagant carnivorous plants, various species of orchids, medicinal and aromatic plants, aquatic plants of exotic beauty, palm trees and a spectacular diversity of araceae, such as the eccentric corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) can be observed.

Nursery Educator Spaces

Guigós Trail
Interpretative trail that offers visitors empirical and scientific information about the fauna, flora and the general environment of a portion of the Atlantic Forest, arousing interest in the conservation of biodiversity.

Garden of Senses
Arranged in mandala form, the garden contains medicinal, aromatic and toxic plants, providing visitors with experiences that stimulate various senses of human perception.

Guigós Trail
Interpretative trail that offers visitors empirical and scientific information about the fauna, flora and the general environment of a portion of the Atlantic Forest, arousing interest in the conservation of biodiversity.

Garden of Senses
Arranged in mandala form, the garden contains medicinal, aromatic and toxic plants, providing visitors with experiences that stimulate various senses of human perception.

Equatorial greenhouse
Environment with controlled temperature and humidity, allowing the cultivation of tropical species, such as the families of Araceae, Arecaceae, Piperaceae, Heliconiaceae, among others.

Juçara Grove
Space that recreates an environment of the rainforest, with areas of shade, mild temperature and high humidity. An invitation to the contemplation of native species of this type of biome and some endangered.

Environmental management
Instituto Inhotim seeks alternatives to minimize the environmental impacts generated by the park’s activities and thus be recognized as an international reference in sustainability.

Environmental Regularization
Respect for the environment is a duty of all institutions committed to sustainable development and quality of life. Inhotim reports to environmental agencies any and all impact-generating activities, seeking authorization to perform them.

Solid waste management
Inhotim’s solid waste management covers the inventory of waste types as well as proper storage and disposal. Based on the technical standard ABNT NBR 10004/2004, which classifies solid waste according to its polluting potential, the waste is sent to the indicated locations:

Class I (hazardous) waste: has its own storage location, where it is collected and sent to the industrial landfill by an outsourced company licensed for such activity.

Class II A (non-inert) waste: These are stored in color-coded containers collected by the city hall for landfill. With the exception of recyclable waste, which is separated in the sector itself – where it is generated, stored in different colored containers and destined for the association of collectors of – local recyclable material.

Class II B (inert) waste: which mainly involves rubble from civil works, is stored in buckets and destined for industrial landfill.

Water Resources and Effluent Management
Inhotim is located in a region rich in water resources. Several natural springs and lakes are protected by forest remnants kept intact by the Institute, which also includes a Private Natural Heritage Reserve, the Inhotim RPPN. Artesian wells and irrigation water reservoirs are used for the park’s water supply. And a proprietary system consisting of septic tanks and biological treatment plants is used for the treatment of the generated effluents. In order to maintain the quality of water resources and effluent treatment, water and effluent samples are collected periodically for physical and chemical monitoring.

Wildlife Management
Being located between the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes, Inhotim has potentiated all the biological diversity of its park. In order to know the local wildlife, the Institute partners with universities and specialized researchers.

Technology and Environmental Innovation
Inhotim Carbon Credit: launched at Environment Week 2013, the project aims to offset Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs). In partnership with Plantar Carbon, an online eco-calculator was developed that allowed the visitor to calculate the amount of GHG`s emitted annually and offset emissions. The action culminated in the unprecedented sale of UN-certified carbon credits.

Between Butterflies Circuit: elaborated from data obtained in a scientific project, in partnership with the UNA University Center, the environmental education circuit allows visitors to have contact with the butterflies of the park. An illustrated guide with information on specimens collected during the project invites you to take a stroll with strategic stops in areas of greater abundance of each species.

Inhotim Institute
The Inhotim Institute is home to one of the most important collections of contemporary art in Brazil and considered the largest open-air museum in the world. It is located in Brumadinho ( Minas Gerais ), a city with 38,000 inhabitants, just 60 kilometers from Belo Horizonte.

Instituto Inhotim is located in Brumadinho, 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Belo Horizonte, the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, and the third largest metropolitan area in Brazil. Inhotim features an internationally relevant art collection, located within 140 hectares (346 acres) of forests and botanical gardens.

Besides the galleries dedicated to solo presentations of artist and the permanent outdoor works, the galleries Fonte, Lago, Mata, Praça and Galpão house temporary exhibitions drawn from the growing contemporary art collection which now consists of more than 700 works by 200 artists from different countries around the world. By collaborating with artists in commissioning new works and adapting existing ones to new spaces, Inhotim’s artistic projects have dealt with landscape and nature, and have accumulated an impressive grouping of large-scale works. Having arisen from a private garden, Inhotim has developed an intensive line of work aimed at the preservation and development of vegetation and botanical research, pursuing new ways to preserve the biodiversity of the surrounding region and Brazil.

Alongside its cultural role, activity that has qualified the institute as a civil-society organization of public interest (OSCIP). In 2010 the institution received the official title of Botanical Garden by the Comissão Nacional de Jardins Botânicos. The exuberant botanical collection is shown in the institution’s gardens contains about 5,000 species of plants, many of them threatened with extinction.