Help Choose the Names for New Species

Linhares, Espírito Santo - Last week a group of foreign correspondents visited the Vale Natural Reserve in Linhares, a city in northern Espírito Santo state. A Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN), the site is owned and operated by the Brazilian mining conglomerate Vale (formerly Company Vale do Rio Doce, CVRD) and is open to visitors, including for overnight stays. In due course we will post details about the reserve as a tourist attraction as part of our coverage of Espírito Santo.

But for now we want BrazilMax readers know that they can help elect the six famous Brazilians whose names will become immortalized in the scientific names of a half-dozen new plant species that have been identified by researchers in the reserve. An expert committee chose 18 nominees who have been divided into five regional and one national categories.

Several of the candidates have been featured on BrazilMax:

* Adalberto Val, director of the National Institute for Research in the Amazon (INPA)
* Artist J. Borges
* José Márcio Ayres, founder of the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve
* Composer Tom Jobim (just plug his name into our search box)

To cast your ballot, visit the Immortal Brazilian website. Unfortunately the online ballot is in Portuguese only, but if you click on “vote aqui” you’ll see a list of candidate photos. Click on the photo of your choice and then again on “vote no indicado”; when you get the confirmation pop-up, click on “continuar” to make your next selection. You can vote for one person in each of the six categories.

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