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| Brazilian Society of Herpetology | |
|---|---|
| Name | Brazilian Society of Herpetology |
| Native name | Socieda de Brasileira de Herpetologia |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Headquarters | São Paulo |
| Region served | Brazil |
| Leader title | President |
Brazilian Society of Herpetology is a learned society dedicated to the study of amphibians and reptiles in Brazil. It promotes research, conservation, and public engagement across ecosystems such as the Amazon, Cerrado, Atlantic Forest and Pantanal, and fosters ties with institutions like the Museu Nacional, Instituto Butantan, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, and major universities in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Pará. The society interacts with international bodies including the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society and the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.
Founded in the late 20th century, the society emerged amid academic developments at the Universidade de São Paulo, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and Museu de Zoologia da USP, alongside contemporaneous organizations such as the Sociedade Brasileira de Zoologia and Sociedade Botânica do Brasil. Early figures included curators and taxonomists associated with the Museu Nacional, Instituto Butantan, Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi. The society’s timeline intersects with landmark events like the establishment of Conservation International projects in the Amazon, the creation of Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, and scientific collaborations with the Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, London, and the Field Museum. Over decades the society responded to environmental crises highlighted by NGOs such as WWF, Greenpeace, and World Resources Institute, while contributing to legislation debates involving the Ministério do Meio Ambiente and Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade.
The society is governed by an elected board with roles analogous to those used by the American Museum of Natural History, Royal Society, and Linnean Society of London. Its statutes define executive, scientific and advisory committees that coordinate with universities including Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, and Universidade de Brasília. Governance processes mirror practices found at the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, and maintain institutional links to botanical and zoological museums such as the Museu Integrado de Roraima and Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo.
Membership comprises researchers, curators, students and conservationists from institutions such as Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Embrapa, Universidade Estadual Paulista, and Universidade Federal do Ceará. Regular scientific meetings are modeled on conferences like the International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology, Society for Conservation Biology, and meetings hosted by the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums. Annual symposia rotate through host cities including São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belém, Manaus, and Salvador, and draw participants from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Museu de Zoologia, Instituto Butantan, and Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi.
The society supports peer-reviewed research across taxonomy, systematics, ecology and physiology, publishing in journals comparable to Herpetologica, Copeia, Journal of Herpetology and Zootaxa, and collaborating with publishers like Springer, Elsevier and Cambridge University Press. Research programs often partner with the Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, London, Field Museum, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and Universidad de São Paulo, and address topics relevant to the Amazon Basin, Pantanal wetlands, Atlantic Forest remnants, Cerrado savanna and Caatinga. Notable research areas involve phylogenetics informed by the American Museum of Natural History collections, biogeography connected to the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, and disease ecology linking to Fundação Oswaldo Cruz and Instituto Evandro Chagas.
Conservation initiatives coordinate with IUCN, Instituto Chico Mendes, ICMBio, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Fundação Biodiversitas, addressing threats from deforestation in the Amazon, agricultural expansion in the Cerrado, and urbanization affecting the Atlantic Forest. Outreach campaigns partner with environmental NGOs such as WWF and SOS Mata Atlântica, municipal parks like Parque Nacional da Tijuca, and educational institutions including Museu da Vida and Museu Nacional, promoting public awareness through exhibitions, school programs and media collaborations with publishers and broadcasters including Rede Globo, Folha de S.Paulo and O Estado de S. Paulo.
The society confers awards that honor contributions to herpetology and conservation, echoing the prestige of honors granted by the National Geographic Society, Prince Bernhard Nature Awards, and the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards. Recipients include taxonomists, field biologists and conservation practitioners affiliated with institutions like Instituto Butantan, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Universidade de São Paulo, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and Embrapa, as well as international collaborators from the Smithsonian Institution and Natural History Museum, London.
Collaborations extend to national agencies such as Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovações, CNPq, CAPES and FAPESP, and international partners including IUCN, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society, Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, London, Field Museum and American Museum of Natural History. The society works with regional universities—Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina—and NGOs such as SOS Mata Atlântica, Fundação Biodiversitas and Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, fostering projects in areas like the Amazon, Pantanal, Cerrado and Atlantic Forest, and engaging with global initiatives led by UNESCO and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Category:Herpetology Category:Scientific societies in Brazil Category:Conservation organizations of Brazil