Editorial
The publication of this second fascicle of the 2012 edition of the Brazilian Journal of Botany closely coincides with the celebration of the World Environment Day and the Rio+20 Convention, which is dedicated this year to the sustainable development of our planet. At the national level, it coincides with the return of the controversial Forest Code project that has generated harsh criticism and protests from the scientific communities in Brazil and abroad.
Our readers may have noticed that the number of articles accepted and published exclusively in English decreased in relation to the numbers previously published in either Portuguese or English. There have also been changes in the composition of the Editorial Board with the designation of four Assistant Editors responsible for the initial evaluation and final decision on the manuscripts, as well as the appointment of Associate Editors who have the responsibility of choosing two or more specialists to analyze each manuscript. The Editors are likewise adopting stricter criteria in their evaluation of submitted articles. These new policies, together with the acceptance of articles exclusively in English, may have caused some authors to refrain from submitting manuscripts, while others continued to submit manuscripts in Portuguese that were subsequently returned. Nonetheless, submissions are occurring at regular rates, and we believe they will even increase in response to enhanced visibility and recognition of the Brazilian Journal of Botany by the botanical community and by indexing institutions.
The Editors of the Journal believe that the eight scientific articles published here (two in the fields of Biochemistry and Physiology, one in Ecology and Biogeography and five in Systematics, Phylogeny and Floristics) represent original contribution to botanical knowledge and to the study of the sustainable uses of Biodiversity.
Additionally, we have solicited a contribution by renowned Brazilian ecologist Fábio Scarano from Conservation International who, together with other distinguished colleagues from that same Organization and from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, presents here a timely and challenging article entitled "Brazil on the spot: Rio+20, sustainability and a role for plant science" in the Point of View Column.
Regretfully our journal will be in printing phase during the Rio+20 Convention, but we hope that the authors of the Point of View Column, will have the opportunity to present their views during the meetings. We strongly hope that their contributions and proposals will have positive effects well beyond the period of the Convention and can influence the decisions of the political and administrative spheres of the Brazilian government.
São Paulo, June 15, 2012
Sonia M.C. Dietrich
Editor-in-Chief
Brazilian Journal of Botany
Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
18 Oct 2012 -
Date of issue
2012
