Created in 1990, as a Master's program, the Graduate Program in Ecology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (PPGE-UFRJ) has as its main goal to seek excellence in the training of professionals in various areas of ecology, which has been reinforced with the implementation of the Doctorate program in 1995. Managed by the Department of Ecology in the Institute of Biology, PPGE-UFRJ is a multi-institutional program, which brings together accredited researchers working in different areas of Ecology from different units of the UFRJ. PPGE-UFRJ started with 23 permanent professors. Currently, it has 33 professors, among which 27 are from the permanent nucleus, 6 are collaborators and 15 are CNPq productivity fellows. The faculty includes professors from UFRJ, UNIRIO, UERJ, UFF, JB / RJ, among others.
PPGE-UFRJ pursues six main lines of research that span all levels of organization in ecology, from organisms to ecosystems, as well as areas focused on species management, conservation, and environmental education. Its research activities are especially focused on the Atlantic block, encompassing forests, campo rupestre, restingas, swamps, estuaries, mangroves, continental waters, continental shelf, beaches, and open ocean, having recently initiated studies in the field of urban ecology. In addition, systems outside the state of Rio de Janeiro are also studied, mostly for comparative purposes, as is the case with lakes and vegetation in the Amazon, lakes in Pantanal, vegetation and fauna in the Cerrado savanna and Antarctic environments. PPGE-UFRJ's research ranges from ecophysiological to biogeographic, which may involve laboratory experiments, microcosms to long-term studies. The program encourages this diversity of approach in research and, consequently, in teaching.
Our mission is to train professionals in the field of ecological sciences with a strong scientific and ethical foundation, grounded in acquiring knowledge and developing skills that allow them to promote integration among academia, politics and society.
Our vision is to reinforce our position as a reference in national and international ecological research by placing alumni from the program in accredited research institutions, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations and companies that work with ecological issues, environmental policies or solutions to environmental problems.