The Brazilian Chapter of the Society for Urban Ecology (SURE-BR) was proposed and approved during the 1st World SURE Congress at the General Assembly in the Berlin in July 2013. It was enlarged to the Chapter Latin America during the „First International Symposium on Urban Ecology of the Society in Latin America“ in 2015.

The main goal of the Latin America Chapter is to promote Urban Ecology education and research, as well as work with cities and decision makers to apply ecosystem approach in planning, design and programs development.

We have an interdisciplinary Executive Committee that had the founding workshop at Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) in February 2014.

In the first year we have already launched a successful Facebook Group named “Ecologia Urbana” with more than 600 members in June 2014. SURE-BR has organized an on-line survey to find out who is our potential public. We have had until early July almost 500 responses that will be analyzed to orient our future actions more acutely. The research is on-line.

SURE-BR is promoting short courses on Urban Ecology and Green Infrastructure, and also planning a Latin American Congress in late 2015. We are working on a scientific paper in Portuguese to be published in a recognized Brazilian journal. We aim to introduce and set basis of Urban Ecology based on science to diffuse the field in Brazil.

The first Executive Board:

President

Cecilia P. Herzog (Landscape Designer, Urban Planner – President at Instituto INVERDE and Associate Professor at Pontifícia Universidade Católica)

Secretary

Simone Freitas (Biologist – Universidade Federal do ABC)

Treasurer

Ricardo Finotti (Biologist – Universidade Estácio de Sá)

Executive Committee

Paulo R. Pellegrino (Landscape Architect – Universidade de São Paulo – USP)

Maria Fernanda Campos Lemos (Urban Planner – Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro – PUC-Rio)

Gisela V. Santana (Architect – Instituto INVERDE)

Luiz Felipe Guanaes Rego (Geographer – Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro – PUC-Rio)

Pierre-André Martin (Landscape Architect – Embya Paisagens e Ecossistemas and Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro – PUC-Rio)

Rafael Soares Gonçalves (Lawyer, Historian Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro – PUC-Rio)

Chapter reports

Chapter Report 2022

Chapter Report 2017/2018

News

Society for Urban Ecology supported FIMA 2021

FIMA 2021 closed successfully and will continue to promote the country’s sustainability.

The event included an academic agenda of international stature within the first version of the First Environmental Entrepreneurial Meeting – For a sustainable reactivation

The academic agenda was developed and supervised by Dr. Henry Garay Sarasty, CAEM, Bogotá, Colombia, SURE Session leader Latin America.
SURE president Prof. Dr. Jürgen Breuste and representatives from SURE Session Central Europe (Dr. Luis Inostroza) and SURE Session South East Europe (Prof. Dr. Cristian Ioja, head of session) participated with presentations and in panel discussion. SURE contributed to the success of the event.

Bogotá, October 2021

In each version, of the International Environmental Fair (FIMA by its acronym in Spanish) becomes a benchmark opportunity in Latin America, which promotes sustainability and environmental care actions in today’s society, strengthening synergies between professionals, buyers and exhibitors to showcase environmental products and services aimed at the productive sector, becoming the ideal meeting point for the different actors in the chain.

Among the organizers of this 7th version were the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Corferias and the Environmental Entrepreneurial Corporation – CAEM, a subsidiary of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, to meet the environmental needs of the region and entrepreneur’s.

More than 200 experts on environmental issues, 152 academic activities, 4.000 m2 of exhibition space and 8.900 visitors made these four days of the fair an ideal event to continue promoting the care of the planet and the protection of natural resources.

Specifically, within the framework of the First Environmental Entrepeneurial Meeting – For a sustainable reactivation, the contents of the agenda and speakers focused on 4 thematic lines of transcendence for Colombia: COMPANIES WITH PURPOSE, the latest actions in URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, the possibilities and potentialities in terms of CLIMATE ACTION and, finally, to learn from the experts about the alternatives to carry out an ENERGY TRANSITION in a country whose exports depend 52% on oil and coal.

To address these issues, high level experts and international speakers were present. Thomas Eckschmidt, Co-Founder of Conscious Capitalims Brazil Chapter, spoke about companies with purpose. For the urban environmental management track, Luis Inostroza, Academic at the Ruhr University of Bochum and associate researcher at the Autonomous University of Chile; Christian Ioja, Head of the Department of Regional Geography and Environment at the University of Bucharest; Jürgen Breuste, president of the Society for Urban ecology – SURE-, professor of geography and urban and landscape ecology at the University of Salzburg; and for the Business Climate Action track, Sanjeev Khagram of Thunderbird Business School, leader of the Global Carbon Removal Partnership -GCRP, Mr. Henry Gonzalez from the Green Climate Fund in Seoul, South Korea, Dr. Andrew Gouldson coordinator of the Climate Action Plan of the British city of Leeds and Henry Garay Sarasty, executive director of CAEM, who presented a proposal for a Business Climate Action Strategy for Colombia.

These Environmental Entrepreneurial meeting would not have been possible without the support of the sponsors such as: Alpina, Amarilo Company and Torca Lake Project, Vanti, Foundation Park Jaime Duque, Green Corporation, Society for Urban Ecology and Blu Radio.

During this event, Colombia received a donation of US$33.5 million to continue promoting sustainable development from the governments of Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom, these financial resources will be distributed among the Sustainable Colombia Fund and the Amazon Vision Program, in order to invest in the sustainable management of forests, the reduction of deforestation, restoration and the promotion of environmental education in the territories.

Henry Garay Sarastry, Jürgen Breuste

“La Poma” book delivered to the President of the Republic of Colombia Mr. Ivan Duque (centre), left Dr. Henry Garay Sarastry (SURE Latin America and CAEM)

Panel: The role of the business sector in urban environmental management. SURE on the panel: Dr. Luis Inostroza, Prof. Dr. Criostian Ioja, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Breuste (SURE president), Dr. Henry Garay Sarastry (from right to left)

Dr. Luis Inostroza, and Dr. Henry Garay Sarastyin discussion with the audience

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Breuste (SURE president) –Presentation: Urban biodiversity through urban environmental management