CÉSAR CAPINHA AND PAULO FARINHA MARQUES INTERVIEWED ON THE RADIO PROGRAM PONTO DE PARTIDA

In an episode titled “Nativas e Invasoras: A Batalha da Biodiversidade”, the weekly series, which highlights Portuguese research on various scientific fields and topics and their connection to everyday life, invited three researchers to give their expert view on how globalization is affecting the distribution of species and the consequences of this phenomenon.

In the episode broadcasted on September 20, 2016, two CIBIO-InBIO researchers,César Capinha and Paulo Farinha Marques, presented two different viewpoints on the range and impact of human mediated species’ dispersal.

César Capinha, geographer, currently studying how alien species are geographically distributed, explains how these species have moved between different areas due to human action, sometimes intentionally, but not always, highlighting some examples of how this expansion has increased in speed and range throughout human history. In addition, he also refers to the fundamental role of climate in the definition of this distribution. César calls attention to the fact that some alien species can become invasive and create serious risks to other species, including humans.

In turn, Paulo Farinha Marques, landscape architect, provides an historical approach to the topic, focusing on the importance of naturalism and collectionism, which were very trendy activities in the nineteenth century, including in Portugal. Paulo explains how these trends had an impact in the dispersal of certain plant species, namely through the routes of large intercontinental vessels that brought to Europe species from all over the world to be used to embellish public and private gardens.

To know more about this topic, please follow the link below:

“Nativas e Invasoras: A Batalha da Biodiversidade“ | Antena 1 " Ponto de Partida" | Sep 20, 2016 (Information available in Portuguese)