Rita Bastos

I graduated (2007) in Biology at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro and in 2010 I concluded the Master's degree in Applied Ecology at the University of Coimbra. Recently, I completed the PhD in Marine Sciences, Technology and Management (University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro), under the CampusDoMar international doctoral programme. 

My main research interests are in animal ecology and biodiversity conservation, and in the past years I have increased my experience in ecological modelling tools for the management and conservation of threatened species and ecosystems. My expertise in ecological modelling has been directed to the development of dynamic and process-based approaches to predict biodiversity trends under environmental change scenarios, and to support strategic options for impact mitigation and management. Particularly, I’ve been exploring the integration of multi-scale modelling techniques (e.g. Agent-based models; System Dynamics, Species Distribution Models and Downscaling techniques) to guide and improve the strategic monitoring of wildlife change and to assess ecological indicators responses to changing conditions. In addition to my expertise in terrestrial ecology, I’ve been also exploring the use of dynamic modelling techniques to assess marine species responses to environmental variability, which deepened my knowledge of marine ecology and conservation.

I am currently a Post-doctoral researcher at the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, under the project "eLTER Plus – European Long-Term Ecosystem, Critical Zone and Social-Ecological Research Infrastructure PLUS". In this scope, I‘ll be investigating the mechanisms linking ecosystem dynamics and biodiversity patterns at local scales, thereby showing the usefulness of the eLTER datasets to address questions related to the effects of socio-ecological drivers and pressures on the spatio-temporal patterns of biodiversity change across Europe.