About
I am a Lecturer in Spatial Ecology and Biosciences. I am a wildlife biologist with research interests in behaviour, ecology, and conservation. My current research involves the use of cutting-edge spatially-explicit analytical approaches to study the synergies between climate, land use/cover and human population changes on primates, particularly great apes. I have broad experience working in an interdisciplinary research environment, field-based ecological research, ex-situ research, and capacity building in developing countries as well as strong quantitative and GIS skills.
Teaching responsibilities
I am module leader of Elective Advanced Topics (6BY509), Wildlife Conservation (6BY508) and Tropical Conservation Biology (7EV503). I also contribute to other modules in Biology, Zoology and Environmental Sciences UG programmes and Conservation Biology PG programme, including:
- Behavioural Ecology (6BY502)
- Ecological Surveying (7BY502)
- Independent Scholarly Activity (7EL996)
- Independent Studies for Geoscience (6EV999)
- Independent Studies in Biosciences (6BY995)
- Independent Research and Professional Development (5BY534)
- Introduction to Remote Sensing and GIS (5GG513)
- Organisms and their environments (3BY500)
- Preparing for Independent Study in Geoscience (5EV999)
- Research Methods (5BY535)
Professional interests
During my study years, I developed a particular interest in animal behaviour, and it was particularly primates that drew my attention, inspired by books by renowned conservationist Jane Goodall. My Master’s thesis focused on assessing the hierarchy and social status of chimpanzees in Lisbon Zoo (Portugal). After helping to improve their captive conditions through environmental enrichment, I decided to go further with my studies and focus my research on questions related to the behavioural ecology and conservation of primates and their natural habitats.
I was successful in a highly competitive funding scheme and obtained a PhD fellowship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). I additionally sought and was awarded a Conservation International Primate Action Fund research grant to investigate the nesting behaviour, ecology, and population status of the western chimpanzee in a protected area in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. My research made an important contribution to better understanding the species’ nesting behaviour, diet and overall ecology, and to future assessments of the subspecies’ conservation status, which was recently reclassified to critically endangered.
During my PhD, I realized the real extent to which our closest relatives are threatened by human activities and my desire deepened to contribute to their protection so that my children would be able to see them in the wild. Towards the end of my PhD, my research interests thus converged on examining the synergistic interactions between climate, land use, and human population changes on primates. For this, I established collaborations with an international team of scientists from Germany (Dr Hjalmar Kuehl and Dr Gaelle Bocksberger, MPI-EVA, iDiv and the University of Dresden), and UK (Prof Serge Wich, LJMU; Dr Fiona Maisels and Dr Elizabeth Williamson, University of Stirling, IUCN and WCS), and more than 60 stakeholders and policymakers worldwide.
Research interests
The focus of my research has been contributing to filling important knowledge gaps regarding how wildlife conservation can best be achieved given the multiple threats it is facing. For that, I have been working in an inter-disciplinary academic manner and using spatially-explicit analytical approaches to:
- Assess the vulnerability of species to the single and combined effects of climate, land use and human population changes
- Evaluate the conservation status of species using a combination of design- and model-based methods and relevant environmental predictors
For most of my research, I use primates as a model group given their central importance to tropical biodiversity and to many ecosystem functions, processes and services – known as ecosystem engineers.
The key success of my research is working directly with a range of stakeholders and decision-makers worldwide. I was invited by GRASP-UNEP to conduct a vulnerability assessment of mountain gorillas and local communities to climate change. This project involves a range of academic institutions and conservation organizations such as DFGF (Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund), GVTC (Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration), ITFC (Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation), MPI-EVA (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology), MGVP (Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project), RMI (Rwanda Meteorological Institute), UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority), WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), WCRC (Woodwell Climate Research Center). Other ongoing research activities include collaborations with Dr Chris Barrat (iDiv, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research) and Dr Fiona Maisels (WCS) in developing future scenarios to evaluate the effects of global change drivers on African elephant distribution. I am also contributing to the A.P.E.S. Wiki project and co-supervising a research project student looking at the effects of extreme events on African apes’ study sites together with Dr Hjalmar Kuehl (MPI-EVA and the University of Dresden), Dr Stephanie Heinicke (Postdam Institute for Climate Impact Research), Dr Isabel Ordaz-Némethand and Dr Tene Sop (iDiv and MPI-EVA).
I have extended my collaborative approach to a project funded by the Arcus Foundation, aimed at reassessing the conservation status of chimpanzees in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, and fostering community-led conservation initiatives. As the Principal Investigator, I work alongside co-PIs Dr. Alessia Bani, Prof. Michael Sweet, and Dr. Mark Bulling, in partnership with the governmental organization IBAP and a network of national and international stakeholders. Additionally, we have collaborated with Twycross Zoo to pioneer the use of Environmental DNA (eDNA) for detecting chimpanzees, successfully testing its feasibility for the first time.
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