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ONGOING PROJECTS
Lightsource bp Portugal – BIOPOLIS partnership
Lightsource bp Portugal – BIOPOLIS partnership
GOAL: Within Lightsource bp Portugal's commitment to integrating biodiversity into its decision-making processes, this collaboration focuses on three key objectives: (1) delivering advisory support in the context of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures, (2) assisting in the implementation of the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) framework, and (3) conducting applied research to optimize the environmental performance of photovoltaic parks, particularly in the thematic areas of soil biodiversity and carbon retention.
BIOPOLIS | CIBIO-InBIO team members: Francisco Moreira, Rui Morgado, Sara Veríssimo, Miguel Porto
Funded by: Lightsource bp (2023-2026)
Six-banded armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus) in Brazil
© Marcel Huijser
GOAL: Develop and launch a web platform that will mobilize and integrate data on wildlife mortality resulting from collisions and electrocutions from energy and transport infrastructure and provide analytical tools to evaluate and predict the impacts of this mortality on populations of terrestrial vertebrates.
Partners: BIOPOLIS|CIBIO-InBIO (coord.), GBIF PT/ISA, CSIC GBIF-ES, iDiv, RGI, OFB, CEREMA, UMR.
BIOPOLIS | CIBIO-InBIO team members: Clara Grilo (coord), Tomé Neves, Filipa Coutinho Soares, Joana Bernardino, Ana Teresa Marques.
GOAL: This 6-year project aims to reduce the mortality of 13 bird species among the most impacted by power lines in France, Belgium, and Portugal. BIOPOLIS-CIBIO’s team is focused on testing devices and technologies to monitor and reduce bird collisions with power lines, including the ACAS system. We will oversee the design of field experiments in France and Belgium, as well as conduct data analyses to validate the effectiveness of each device and technology tested throughout the project.
Partners: LPO France (coord.), RTE, Elia, Enedis, E-Redes, LPO Pays De La Loire, LPO Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, LPO Occitanie, LPO Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur, Natuurpunt, Natagora, SPEA, BIOPOLIS-CIBIO, EDM International, and Renewables Grid Initiative.
BIOPOLIS | CIBIO-InBIO team members: Francisco Moreira, Joana Bernardino, Ricardo Martins and Rui Morgado.
Funded by: European Union’s LIFE Programme (2023-2028)
Conserving vital connections across expanding linear infrastructure in a transboundary Terai Arc Landscape
Conserving vital connections across expanding linear infrastructure in a transboundary Terai Arc Landscape
GOAL: Plan mitigation for roads and other linear infrastructures in Terai Arc Landscape for the long-term wildlife conservation. More specifically, we intend to analyze the spatial response of rhinos and tigers to roads at a local scale in order to locate the road sections within the movement corridors that should be mitigated in the TAL.
Partners: WII, India (coord.), BIOPOLIS | CIBIO-InBIO, NTNC (Nepal)
BIOPOLIS | CIBIO-InBIO team members: Clara Grilo
Funded by: US Fish Wildlife Service (2023-2026).
GOAL: To support countries in developing a coherent Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N) of conserved areas, protecting at least 30% of land (with at least 10% under strict protection) in the European Union. We bring together universities, research institutes, government bodies and non-governmental organisations, and work with key stakeholders to create targeted data, knowledge and tools, and build the capacity needed to support EU Member States in creating an ecologically representative, resilient and well-connected network of conserved areas across Europe.
BIOPOLIS | CIBIO-InBIO team members: Francisco Moreira, Ana Ceia-Hasse
Funded by: Horizon Europe (2023-2026)
GOAL: The main aims of the REN - BIOPOLIS Partnership are: (1) the development of scientific research on interactions between REN infrastructures (mainly transmission power lines) and biodiversity (mainly birds) and (2) provide advisory and knowledge transfer to REN and other stakeholders. This initiative started in 2015 with the REN Biodiversity Chair, during 5 years, and was continued by two consecutive protocols (2020-2023 and 2024-2027).
BIOPOLIS | CIBIO-InBIO team members: Ricardo Martins, Joana Bernardino, Rui Morgado, Nadine Pires, Francisco Moreira, João Paulo Silva, Ana Teresa Marques, Inês Catry, Joana Marcelino and other collaborators.
Funded by: REN - Rede Elétrica Nacional, FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Project NORTE-01-0246-FEDER-000063, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
PREVIOUS PROJECTS in which our team members were involved
Monitoring bird use of a floating photovoltaic plant at Alqueva dam
Monitoring bird use of a floating photovoltaic plant at Alqueva dam
GOAL: We aim to describe the spatial-temporal patterns of birds at the Alqueva dam (southern Portugal), and their usage of the floating photovoltaic platform. Based on UAV images, we will characterize bird droppings on the photovoltaic panels and evaluate their impact on output power.
BIOPOLIS | CIBIO-InBIO team members: Joana Bernardino, Ricardo Martins, Rui Morgado, Joana Marcelino, Francisco Moreira and Pedro Beja
Funded by: EDP Gestão de Produção de Energia, SA (2023-2024).
Leopard in Chitwan National Park in Nepal ©ESSA/ADB
Smart infrastructure planning and design to protect natural habitats and biodiversity
GOAL: Analyse the occurrence likelihood and movement corridors for mammals along Nepal's East-West Highway, connecting the cities of Narayanghat, Hetauda, and Pathlaiya. Based on camera trapping data from Chitwan National Park and the highway corridor, we identified two potential wildlife movement corridors - Barandabhar and Parsa - where flyovers should be implemented to maintain connectivity for mammals, particularly tigers, leopards, and rhinos.
Team members: Patricia de La Cueva (coord. ESSA), Clara Grilo, Bhuvan Sharma, Tony Clevenger, Gordon Keller.
Funded by: Asian Development Bank (2020-2022).
OUTPUTS: Training course
Road Macroecology: analytical tools to assess impacts on biodiversity and landscape structure
GOAL: Compile and analyze road mortality data in Brazil. We evaluated the biological and ecological factors that make species particularly vulnerable to roadkill, mapped over 20,000 roadkill locations, analyzed the effects of roads on maned wolf and giant anteater. Finally, we assessed the risk of local extinction associated with observed roadkill and identified species especially vulnerable to road-related mortality.
Team members: Clara Grilo (coord. at UFLA), Alex Bager, Rafaela Cerqueira, Fernando Pinto, Priscilla Barbosa, Flavio Zanchetta Ferreira.
Funded by: CNPq (2015-2017).
OUTPUTS: Brazil Roadkill, Felids, Maned wolf, Giant anteater, Mortality risk, Jaguars, Extinction risk, Latin America
Highway Sevilla-Huelva (Spain) ©Juan Rodriguéz
Mammals and roads interactions: from shifts in behavior to genetic structures
Mammals and roads interactions: from shifts in behavior to genetic structures
GOAL: Examine the behavioral and genetic effects of road- and traffic-related factors on Mediterranean mammals, specifically three species with different ecological requirements: the water vole (Arvicola sapidus), pine vole (Microtus duodecimcostatus), and Algerian mouse (Mus spretus) in soutthenr Spain. While we observed that these species exhibited avoidance behavior toward the highway, our analysis of gene flow and genetic structure in populations near the highway did not indicate that it acts as a significant barrier.
Team members: Clara Grilo (coord. at EBD/CESAM), EBD-CSIC: Eloy Revilla, José Godoy, Jacinto Román, Fciencias.ID: Juan Rodriguez, Irene Del Cerro, Victor Ramiro, Guillem Molina Vacas, Xavier Fernandez.
Funded by: FCT (2011-2013).
OUTPUTS: Spatial behavior, Genetic struture
Buried fence around the culvert in Portugal ©Joaquim Pedro Ferreira
Effectiveness of mitigation measures to prevent the negative effects of highways
Effectiveness of mitigation measures to prevent the negative effects of highways
GOAL: Evaluate the effectiveness of dry ledges and fencing in facilitating carnivore use of underpasses and culverts, and radio-tracking barn owls and stone martens to assess their spatial behavior in relation to highways 2 and 6. Additionally, we examined the role of road verges in influencing small mammal abundance in Portugal.
Team members: Clara Grilo (co-coord. CBA), Margarida Santos-Reis (co-coord. CBA), Joana Sousa, Inês Leitão, Hugo Matos, Fernando Ascensão.
Funded by: BRISA AutoEstradas de Portugal (2007-2009).
OUTPUTS: culverts, spatial behaviour, small mammals, culvert design, dry ledges, barn owls
Carcass of a badger (Meles meles) in Portugal ©Joaquim Pedro Ferreira
Effects of roads on carnivores and measures to minimize the negative impacts
Effects of roads on carnivores and measures to minimize the negative impacts
GOAL: We analyzed the spatial and temporal patterns of carnivores mortality through collision with vehicles and evaluated the effectiveness of existing underpasses and culverts to maintain the habitat connectivity for carnivores in Portugal.
Team members: Clara Grilo (co-coord. at CBA), Margarida Santos Reis (co-coord. CBA)
Funded by: FCT and BRISA Autoestradas de Portugal (2003-2007)
OUTPUTS: culverts, roadkills, owls roadkill, habitat connectivity vs roadkill
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