At this very moment (2 September; 22h00, local time), the National Museum (MN, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), one of the most important museums of natural history in the world, is burning in flames.
In addition to the exhibitions open to the public, the MN housed some of the largest and most important scientific collections existing in Brazil. The collections of biological items included thousands of types (insects, reptiles, birds, mammals, plants, etc.).
To the taxonomists (and other colleagues): You could say how many specimens (mainly types) collected or described by you were deposited in MN? And to what taxonomic groups (family or above) these specimens belonged?
[In 2016, a coup d’état turned Brazil in a country with no future. Now, in his final months at the head of the Government, the President Michel Temer wants also to ensure that the country erase its own past.]
I appreciate colleagues for the comments and for the suggestions.
The Brazilian press (newspapers etc.) is biased and shallow and I don’t take it too seriously. On the other hand, an article published yesterday (4/9) in The Guardian had the following title: ‘Brazil National Museum: as much as 90% of collection destroyed in fire.’ At the moment, two considerations must be made: (i) this percentage should vary greatly among the different sectors of the institution (from 0% to 100% of loss); and (ii) the fact is that no one yet knows the extent of the losses.
I don’t work in the National Museum (MN) and I don’t even live in the city of Rio de Janeiro. However, a friend of mine who works at the MN sent me today (5/9) some enlightening information (especially about the biological collections), as can be read below:
(1) The so-called Imperial Palace housed most of the collections of the MN. In this building were, among others, the Department of Entomology (except part of Diptera) and part of the collections of mollusks and arachnids. Total loss: collections of insects, including several hundreds of types (e.g., about 1.300 beetle holotypes), in addition to the collections of mollusks and arachnids (but 80% of the types of mollusks have been preserved, because they were in a building annex). The departments of Geology & Paleontology and Anthropology also stayed in this main building. Total loss: the collection of Egyptian relicts (e.g., mummies) and the social anthropology library. However, some items (e.g., meteorites) are being found and collected. The building still housed an electron microscope.
(2) Outside the Palace are the following sectors: the central library; the departments of Vertebrates and of Botany; a small part of Archaeology and some laboratories of invertebrates. All are preserved.
(3) An annex to the Palace (‘Annex Alípio de Miranda Ribeiro’) was preserved. In this building are part of the the sector of dipterology and the collections of invertebrates (except mollusks and arachnids).
So sorry to hear about the tragic incident.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/huge-blaze-engulfs-national-museum-in-rio-de-janeiro-with-two-hundred-years-of-work-lost-a3925906.html
How it caught fire?
If you search Index Herbariorum http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/ giving the acronym of the herbarium in the National Museum, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil then you are likely to get some information regarding the types deposited there. Is there any virtual herbarium? If so images are likely to be in the web. If it is R then it is available in the following link: http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/herbarium_details.php?irn=126368
However, no information on types. Only names of important collectors are there. The information were last updated on 24/08/2018
So tragic for Brazil, science, and human heritage. Belgium is with you. Kind regards, Erwin.
This is disastrous for the scientific community and for anyone interested in the pursuit of knowledge. A very sad day.
I appreciate colleagues for the comments and for the suggestions.
For a brief overview of the collections that the MN housed, see: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/03/brazils-national-museum-what-could-be-lost-in-the-fire.
Museology students of a local university (Unirio) are starting a campaign to collect images and photographic records made inside the MN by visitors. Contacts with students (even in English, I presume) can be made by the following emails: [email protected]; [email protected]; or [email protected].
Dear Felipe.
I´m sorry to much.
I´m sending you the following data:
Excoffon,A.C.;Costa Belém,M.J.;Zamponi,M.O.;Schlenz,E.1997.The validity of Anthothoe chilensis (Actiniaria,Sagartiidae) and its distribution in Southern Hemisphere.Iheringia,Sér.Zool.,Porto Alegre,(82):107-118.
From this paper we studied the following material from MNRJ,perhaps,you´re interesting:
Material examined:species:Anthothoe chilensis
Phylum Cnidaria
Subphylum Anthozoaria
Clase Anthozoa
Subclase Hexacorallia (=Zoantharia)
Orden Actiniaria
Family Sagartiidae)
Rio de Janeiro:Arrial do Cabo,Praia Grande (intertidal),(3),20.XII.80,M.J.C.Belém &D.C.Monteiro col.,(MNRJ 241-243);(9),19.11.81,M.J.C.Belém & D.C.Monteiro col.,(MNRJ 244);(3),19.11.81.M,J.C.Belém & D.C.Monteiro col.,(MNRJ 245-247),(all series n.140 of microscope slides of MNRJ).Arraial do Cab (subtidal),45 m,(35),10.VI.86,F.C.Fernandes col.,MNRJ 1050);Rio de Janeiro,Praia Vermelha,(2),2.XI.83,D.C.Monteiro col.(Slides Collection MNRJ,serie n.760).
The number of studied specimens are expressed parenthetical.
I hope this information will be useful.
Caro Filipe. E com bastante pezar que li sobre o incendio do vosso Museu.
Como entomologista into o desgosto pela perda de preciosas joias da Natureza.Um abraco.s
I am deeply hurt and feel like crying at what has happened to the museum in Rio where the fire has destroyed, most spirited specimens, numerous artifacts, palaeontological materials, etc. and the library fire at the Academy of Sciences in St. Pietersburg, where I am sure numerous valuable literature must have been lost. I wonder what can be salvaged and replaced. Sometimes I think that life is cruel to us scientists and academics alike who offer so much of their time and expertise, often with little or no remuneration. Is somebody playing a cruel game or is it just fate/accident? My sincerest sympathies to the people in Brazil and Russia especially and the entire world in general.
Ahmed Thandar
Dear Brazillians: How could such a tragedy happen? Weren't there any fire detectors or water sprinklers to stop the fire when it began? What about fire extinguishers? The whole building and its contains were ablaze from one corner to the next, nothing of the security measures seemed to work! Could have been a fire set on purpose, I wonder.
Sincere condolences to all Brazillian naturalists and paleonthologists. Sebastián Grande, U.C.V., Caracas.
I appreciate colleagues for the comments and for the suggestions.
The Brazilian press (newspapers etc.) is biased and shallow and I don’t take it too seriously. On the other hand, an article published yesterday (4/9) in The Guardian had the following title: ‘Brazil National Museum: as much as 90% of collection destroyed in fire.’ At the moment, two considerations must be made: (i) this percentage should vary greatly among the different sectors of the institution (from 0% to 100% of loss); and (ii) the fact is that no one yet knows the extent of the losses.
I don’t work in the National Museum (MN) and I don’t even live in the city of Rio de Janeiro. However, a friend of mine who works at the MN sent me today (5/9) some enlightening information (especially about the biological collections), as can be read below:
(1) The so-called Imperial Palace housed most of the collections of the MN. In this building were, among others, the Department of Entomology (except part of Diptera) and part of the collections of mollusks and arachnids. Total loss: collections of insects, including several hundreds of types (e.g., about 1.300 beetle holotypes), in addition to the collections of mollusks and arachnids (but 80% of the types of mollusks have been preserved, because they were in a building annex). The departments of Geology & Paleontology and Anthropology also stayed in this main building. Total loss: the collection of Egyptian relicts (e.g., mummies) and the social anthropology library. However, some items (e.g., meteorites) are being found and collected. The building still housed an electron microscope.
(2) Outside the Palace are the following sectors: the central library; the departments of Vertebrates and of Botany; a small part of Archaeology and some laboratories of invertebrates. All are preserved.
(3) An annex to the Palace (‘Annex Alípio de Miranda Ribeiro’) was preserved. In this building are part of the the sector of dipterology and the collections of invertebrates (except mollusks and arachnids).
Dear Felipe: amongst the tragedy a bit of good news, at least some of the collections were spared from destruction, but someone in charge of the security must be blamed for what happened, it is not a normal fire, it took the whole building from wall to wall, it looks very strange to me. Regards, Sebastián
It is indeed a very tragic incident. Great loss to scientists, science.and above all to humanity
I am sorry for your loss.
A very small part may be recoverable as most large collections loan some specimens out to various experts. You should consider what will happen to these specimens. What to do with them when they are returned and figuring out who has them.
I appreciate colleagues for the comments.
In 8/9, Timothy drew attention to an important point: material that may have been preserved simply by being out of the National Museum (MN), on loan to various experts. (On the same day, I heard about a real case, involving a small collection of wasps.)
Today (10/9), I received a message from colleagues of the MN. They comment about the opposite situation (material that was lent to museum experts) and, in the specific case of their sector (herpetology), the news is very good, as can be read in the excerpt below:
“While conditions are still not ideal, we are managing to keep the [herpetology] collection safe and under study. […]
Due to the fire, we have lost temporarily some institutional functionality […]. Please rest assured that all herpetology specimens [amphibians and reptiles] lent to us are well accommodated and safe for now. We shall be returning them as soon as institutional functionality is minimally restored.”
Very sorry for this . Brazil had already done so much with the inventory of their flora.
Very sad. Is there a way to reconstruct or save even some material not being completely damaged?
It is a true tragedy for several scientific fields... Personally, I'll try my (second) beetle collection, in the aim to search for Brazilian material. I hope that I'll be able to do it (I'm 74!) and to send you samples of my own material (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) as a gift. I permit myself to softly recommend all Colleagues to contribute to rebuild the collections of the Brazilian Museum. Abraços. Mario
I'm glad to find a senior and serious scholar replying to my call. Yes, colleagues and experts should contribute to rebuild the collections of the Brazilian Museum. It will be a great thing to act now.
One of the striking responses to this tragedy has been the widespread anguish and despair expressed by the Brazilian population. This underscores how institutions and their collections are closely bound to a sense of community identity, in this case on a national scale.
People take their cultural heritage seriously. In Australia you just have to look at the misgivings expressed by many at the NSW government’s plans to realign Sydney’s cultural infrastructure with the Powerhouse Museum move.
We know that those keepers of culture and history are the first to be destroyed during political conflicts. Leaders know that the best way to control a population’s will is to destroy their sense of their own history and culture. The burning of the library at Sarajevo is one example, there are too many others.
But with public funding support for institutions declining across the world, we have to ask the question why would leaders who supposedly want to protect and bolster a community’s sense of history and culture actually make it more vulnerable to catastrophe through neglect?
I wonder if many of those who protested this neglect on the streets of Rio actually knew the situation was so parlous and their heritage so vulnerable?
That is why I emphasize that it is a loss not only to science.but to humanity too.
Our next generation may not see the vast biodiversity and unable to know the great heritage of the country.
This tragedy erased the past of biological science of Brazil national heritage. Really unbelievable.
is there a future plan or strategy for saving Museums' rare treasure and artifacts?
I thank to Mario and the other colleagues for the comments of recent days.
A team of Unesco experts arrived in Brazil on day 13. According to an article published yesterday (18/9) by the local press (here [in Portuguese]: http://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/geral/noticia/2018-09/unesco-estima-em-10-anos-prazo-para-restauracao-do-museu-nacional), the head of mission, Marlova Jovchelovitch Noleto, said that the process of restoration of the National Museum (MN) should last about 10 years.
At this moment, according to the article, the emergency actions have two objectives: (1) ensure the structural stability of the building; and (2) allow the rescue of items that are under the debris (in addition to the rescue of architectural elements of the building itself).
Most of the collection was inventoried and this will allow technicians to identify and quantify what really was lost.
[In a few weeks, we will have general elections in Brazil. I think that, to some extent, the ruins of MN are a condensed picture of the political situation that Brazilians are facing since 2016.]
Dear Felipe Costa, thank you for this good news. We are looking for hearing good outcomes of the Unesco team.
You are certainly right Felipe.
Anthorpologist and archaeologist in this part of the world are still mourning about the burning of the museum and we solidarize with our Brazilian colleagues.
We are on the verge of a similar situation here, given the budget cuttings to science and culture in Argentina.
Interesting lost!
We are losing home in the large scale We can unite and do more.
It is a great loss for the Humanity
The future generation would have little to know about the biodiversity of mother nature due to systematic destruction
Many of those taxonomists who deposited their types might have left the world.
Well, I/we hope to hear good news regarding the restoration of the museum.
Dear colleagues,
After five months and 10 days since the fire of the night of September 2, the Museu Nacional (MN) was reopened today to the press.
The online version of the main Brazilian newspaper published an article on the subject (in Portuguese) – (here https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ciencia/2019/02/museu-nacional-do-rio-virou-esqueleto-gigante-de-um-so-andar-apos-incendio.shtml).
MN’s own teams are doing a truly archaeological work, mining the debris carefully in search of remains and fragments of pieces – 2,000 items have been found and are being processed. This mining work should extend until the end of the year.
This is good news. Good luck to MN for the rest of work there. Thank you Felipe for providing the link.
Dear Felipe Costa, thank you for this good news. We are looking for hearing good outcomes of the Unesco team.
Thank you for explaining that some of the collections were not destroyed. Very sad to hear of the losses. We can only hope that most of what is gone has been replicated, or at least well studied, or can and will be collected again. It is a good reminder why there is a duplicate system for herbarium specimens, and the importance of publishing what we learn from them. The loss of types, and one of a kind specimens, is grim. I hope for the best possible outcome for you and for Brazil.
But is not only the Museum of Rio de Janeiro that is burning on flames, is the whole Amazon rainforest of Brazil and the person responsible for this environmental mega-disaster is president Bolsonaro, a criminal against humanity. This month, fires are incinerating the Amazon at a record rate, almost certainly part of a scorched-earth strategy to clear territory. Why is this happening now? Because of a change in power.
A predatory form of politics called Bolsonarism has assumed nearly total, and totalitarian, power in Brazil. President Jair Bolsonaro’s chief project is to create more ruins in the Amazon forest, methodically and swiftly. This is why, for the first time since Brazil became a democracy again, it effectively has a minister against the environment.
For more than 30 years no environment minister has enjoyed the same autonomy as Ricardo Salles. He is a gofer for agribusiness, which is responsible for the majority of the deaths in the fields and forests, and Brazil’s greatest destructive force.
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_do_you_think_about_the_policies_of_deforestation_promoted_by_the_goverments_of_Brazil_and_Bolivia_in_the_Amazon_rainforest
To.Luis Miguel Constantino.
and president Evo Morales is not responsible to the zone close to Amazon?.This president burned on flames the forest belong to Amazon for cultives too.
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