José Fernando Castro
MSc Student
After graduation in Applied Biology at University of Minho in 2014, I applied to the Biodiversity, Genetics and Evolution master degree at University of Porto. My main research focus is biodiversity conservation; however I’m also interested in several other areas, such as GIS, genetics and ecology, which ultimately can be conjugated to design protected areas for species conservation.
My research focuses on developing species distribution models (SDM) in order to identify priority areas for conservation to halt biodiversity loss. Specifically, I will derive SDMs of many taxonomic groups and species living in different habitats to identify important conservation gaps in Mauritania under the scope of distinct scenarios. Ultimately, this project intends to increase the current knowledge about biodiversity distribution and provide an effective protected area network that can contribute to develop a conservation plan in Mauritania.