António Espinha Monteiro

My academic background includes a degree in Biology (1995 – FCUL/Lisbon University) and another in Forest engineer (2016 – ESAB/Bragança Polytechnic Institute). I have a MSc in Aplied Biology at Aveiro University (2012). 

I had a 27 years’ experience in Portuguese Park Services (1995-2022), as a nature conservation technician and manager, working mainly with cliff breeding bird monitoring and conservation, also impact assessment and management of Douro Internacional Natural Park. I participated in the creation of the Faia Brava private protected area and have a role on practical ecological management together with Portuguese NGO Associação Transumancia e Natureza (2000 to present).

Presently, I am developing my PhD research focused on measuring rewilding’s ecological effects on bird communities and its impact on nature conservation in the North of Portugal. 

My main research interests includes describing the ecological processes, associated with land abandonment, and analyse it’s relations with common birds species evolution in the last 20 years (at a local level in the Coa River basin). Also at a broader geographical scope I want to study the evolution of food availability generated with rewilding, for the iberian vulture populations, and then modulating they recolonization conditions in the near future. I expect this research will have a practical application for protected areas management and ecosystem services conservation.