2026 Lemann Dialogue: Six Biomes, Multiple Realities, One Country
2026 Lemann Dialogue: Six Biomes, Multiple Realities, One Country
April 2–3, 2026
CGIS South | 1730 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA
Harvard University
Join us for the Tenth Annual Lemann Dialogue, a two-day panel series dedicated to exploring the complex socio-environmental challenges and opportunities facing Brazil's six biomes: the Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, Caatinga, Pantanal, and Pampa. We will delve into the delicate balance between conservation, regeneration, and human as well as economic development specific to each biome, featuring interdisciplinary discussions from diverse experts.
This event is free and open to the public.
Featured Speakers: Amazon
Marcia Castro
Andelot Professor of Demography; Chair, Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Vanda Witoto
Executive Director, Instituto Witoto
Featured Speakers: Cerrado
Mercedes Bustamante
Full Professor, University of Brasília
Ryan Nehring
Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute
Sandro Dutra e Silva
Associate Professor, State University of Goiás; Full professor, Evangelical University of Goiás
Featured Speakers: Pantanal
Carlos Padovani
Researcher, Embrapa Pantanal
Gilson Barros
Agricultural Engineer
Teresa Bracher
Environmental Philanthropist
Featured Speakers: Mata Atlântica
Fabio Scarano
Professor of Ecology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
José Augusto Padua
Professor of Brazilian Environmental History, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
Marcelo Medeiros
Salata Climate Action Fellow, The Salata Institute for Climate Change and Sustainability
Renata Piazzon
CEO, Instituto Arapyaú
Featured Speakers: Caatinga
Kenia Rios
History Professor, Federal University of Ceará
Marcelo Leite
Journalist, Folha de São Paulo, Nieman Fellow at Harvard University (1998) and Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan (2012)
Washington Franca-Rocha
Full Professor, State University of Feira de Santana (UEFS)
About the Lemann Dialogue
The Lemann Dialogue is an annual conference on Brazil collaboratively organized between Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, each home to centers supported by Jorge Paulo Lemann and the Lemann Foundation.
The specific conference themes vary each year, but generally focus on contemporary social, economic, and political challenges in Brazil. By centering our discussion on Brazil´s six biomes, we aim to expand awareness beyond the often-dominant focus on the Amazon, and encourage new, cross-disciplinary research collaborations and connections.
