Brazil Celebrates 200 Years of Langsdorff Expedition, Highlighting Flora Studies

Brazil is commemorating the bicentennial of the Langsdorff Expedition in Minas Gerais, a significant 19th-century scientific journey. From April 3rd to 10th in Belo Horizonte, lectures, roundtables, and workshops will explore the expedition led by Georg Heinrich von Langsdorff, a German in Russian service. Between 1824 and 1825, Langsdorff's team, including botanists and zoologists, studied the region's flora, fauna, ethnography, and linguistics. The expedition covered areas like Barbacena, Ouro Preto, and Serro do Frio. The event, organized by the Instituto Cultural Amilcar Martins in partnership with UFMG and Iepha-MG, aims to highlight Langsdorff's legacy, including his observations on environmental changes caused by human activity, such as deforestation and the use of fire in agriculture. Langsdorff's extensive collection of materials from the expedition, including manuscripts, maps, and botanical specimens, are currently housed in Russian museums.