Cândida Maria Gomes Vale

I started my research activities during the last year of my degree in Biology, by studying the distribution and abundance of the European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in Montalegre (Portugal). After finishing my B.C.s (2008), I enrolled in the M.Sc. program hosted by CIBIO/UP, and since then I have developed focused and continuous research on Sahara-Sahel biodiversity conservation, particularly in the Atlantic Sahara-Sahel corridor. My first contact with biodiversity conservation in arid environments was during the M.Sc. thesis focussed on predicted impacts of climate change in 25 Sahelian and Afro-tropical vertebrates in West Africa. This was the starting point to develop the Ph.D. thesis, in the Sahara-Sahel region, where I had the opportunity to address multiple issues related to biodiversity conservation in arid environments under climate change.

Currently, I am starting my post doc research at CIBIO/InBio, in collaboration with the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa), and integrated in the "Spatial Planning for Protected Areas in Response to Climate Change” project (http://www.sparc-website.org/). My current and major interests are related to biodiversity conservation and assessments of the climate change impacts. I am particularly interested in studying the indirect impacts that arise from human responses to climate change on species. My ultimate goal is applying this integrative assessment to design proactive and adaptive conservation plans that account with both direct and indirect impact of climate change on species and ecosystems.

ORCID