Silvana Pais

My main fields of investigation include ecology, biodiversity and environment, subjects  in which I obtained a Master’s degree by University of Porto in 2019.

My Master’s Thesis allowed me to acquire knowledgment in  wildfires and biodiversity conservation in mountain areas, developed in the context of the FirESmart project (Ref. PCIF/MOG/0083/2017), entitled ‘Fire-smart landscape management scenarios: impacts on fire regime and biodiversity conservation in a transboundary protected area’.

Thus, and also being inspired by my own experience as a firefighter and my recently acquired skills on prescribed burning, the interest in the development of a PhD project in this field arose.

Therefore, I start my journey as a PhD student attending the BIODIV doctoral programme, promoting ecosystems services and biodiversity conservation through a wide range of land-use and fire management scenarios wherein prescribed fire and agroforestry activities will be integrated under different intensities and planning strategies. Moreover, my PhD thesis will provide guidelines for managers to reduce the impacts of forest fires, cope with rural abandonment by promoting agroforestry practices, ultimately enabling fire-resilient landscapes and promoting a sustainable coexistence of rural communities with fire.

My ambition is to involve rural communities, Civil Protection agents and stakeholders in the definition, structuring and argumentation of sustainable strategies.