News

In the 5th edition of the BES Biodiversity Award the project "Guide of freshwater fish in Portugal: knowing the biodiversity in order to preserve it" coordinated by Maria João Collares-Pereira (EG/ACB), received a Honorable Mention by the jury of the award.
The team comprised by members of CBA, FishGul, Biota and scientific illustrators, intends to develop the first field guide, that gather all the relevant information about the freshwater fish in Portugal. The aim is to obtain a didactic and scientific tool that can be used by different users and call attention to these species and their conservation. Learn more here and here (PT).

CBA-ESFE in colaboration with Sociedade Portuguesa de Botânica (SPBotânica) will participate in the Portuguese activities of the 1st Fascination of Plant Day to be hold on May 18. This event is coordinated by the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO) and aims to promote the fascination and the importance of plants, all around the world.
We invite all interested to participate in two activities:
1) "Plants under glass: the fascination of reproductive structures" | "Plantas à lupa: o fascínio das estruturas reprodutoras".
2) "Wild flower country - a journey through Flora-On" | "Flora selvagem de Portugal - um olhar através do Flora-On". Learn more here (PT) and here.

The CBA and Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa (UNIARQ-FLUL) established a cooperation commitment for the promotion  of interdisciplinary research between Archeology and Biology, through common objectives applied to research work, advanced training, scientific dissemination and construction of reference collections. Learn more here and here.

Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) will be host in Bonn, Germany. Portugal is represented by Henrique Pereira (TEBC). Read Press release (PT) here an learn more here.

Hugo Cardoso (ESFE) is the responsible for the BoneMedLeg Research Project that wishes to critically test, validate and develop a serious of new methods for forensic identification and bone trauma analysis, by initiating a program of amassing two collections of modern Portuguese human skeletal remains. Learn more about the project here.

The paper by Henrique Pereira (TEBC) published in Nature last February has been selected by Faculty of 1000!
Faculty of 1000 is a website for researchers that provides ratings of and commentary on scientific research papers. Papers are selected on their own merits rather than according to the prestige of the journal in which they are published. Check for more details here and read the paper here.

Cristina Máguas (CBA-ESFE) in collaboration with researchers of Bielefeld University used nitrogen isotopes in an innovative approach to reveal otherwise invisible interactions between invasive and native plants in a coastal dune system of the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot. Invasive exotic species cause large ecological and economic problems worldwide. The method developed opens new venues in conservation because it provides an early diagnostic tool for ecological management, improving restoration success rates following exotic species eradication programs. Read some news here, here and listen to an interview on national radio Antena 1 here.
The original paper published on Ecology Letters is available here.

CBA was on the television program BIOSFERA (RTP2), with the participation of PDC and ESFE group members.
Cecília Sérgio (PDC) was interview about the Project "Cryptosensores" that studies the use of Bioindicators applied to air quality. Also several members of ESFE (Otília Correia, Cristina Branquinho, Pedro Pinho, Paula Matos, Alice Nunes e Cristina Antunes) were interviewed about the different research projects developed by the group, about the use of Bioindicators and about the Desertification in Portugal. Watch the video here (February 28, 7:55).

FLORA-ON is a new website that provides interactive tools to easily access a database of the Portuguese Flora (photographs, geographic data and morphological data), developed by Sociedade Portuguesa de Botânica (SPBotânica). Miguel Porto (ESFE), president of SPBotânica is also a CBA member, as well as other participants of this project.
The launch of FLORA-ON will take place at MNHNC on February 25. The event will be attended by Maria Amelia Martins-Loução (PDC/BAI) and Cecilia Sergio (PDC), among others. Learn more here and see the Program here.

Henrique Pereira (TEBC) was nominated national representative of FCT for the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Learn more here

The exhibition "Presos no Charco - Trapped in the Pond" about the diversity of crustaceans in temporary pond, will be at National Museum of Natural History and Science (MNHNC) from January 27 until May 27. This exhibition was developed under the project CHARCOScomBIO, funded by the EDP Fund for Biodiversity. Maria José Caramujo (BAI) is co-organizer of the exhibition. Learn more here