Category: Sem categoria

In the February edition of the “Perspetiva atual” supplement, Professor Amadeu Soares, the scientific coordinator of CESAM, describes the mission, research areas, and activities carried out by the research center.

“Our mission is to develop internationally excellent, multi- and transdisciplinary research on the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and anthroposphere in the atmosphere-land-ocean continuum, framed within multidisciplinary thematic lines,” Amadeu Soares states in the opinion article.

The scientific coordinator also emphasizes, “The main objective is to promote efficient use of terrestrial and aquatic environmental resources, from watersheds to the deep sea, and a more competitive, resilient, and sustainable economy.”

The full article is available here.

On March 2nd, a working session on the impacts and benefits of FSC Forest Certification took place at CESAM.

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is an international organization dedicated to promoting environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of forests worldwide. In Portugal, FSC is represented by the Association for Responsible Forest Management (AGFR), whose goal is to disseminate, promote, and implement the FSC forest certification system in our country.

Forest management certification is a voluntary and independent process based on FSC Principles and Criteria, ensuring that products come from well-managed forests and other sources (e.g., recycled material).

During this session, attended by several members of CESAM, relevant topics were discussed, such as the resilience of forest systems, habitat conservation, productivity in forest systems, among others.

The 17th Alternet Summer School in collaboration with Biodiversa+ will take place from August 30th to September 9th, 2023 in Peyresq, France. This year’s program theme is: Biodiversity and Society: science, policy, and transformative change.

Biodiversity is globally declining at an unprecedented rate in human history, with serious impacts on the world’s population. The Alternet Summer School focuses on the challenge of biodiversity management and conservation, exploring the causes of biodiversity loss and the role of ecological knowledge and social science approaches.

This program is open to scientists and professionals with graduate and postgraduate degrees in related fields.

Application deadline is April 15th, 2023.

Register here.

Learn more about the Alternet Summer School here.

On International Women’s Day, the launch of the fourth volume of the book “Women in Science” took place at the Pavilion of Knowledge in Lisbon. This volume brings together 101 portraits of female researchers from different fields of knowledge. This editorial project focuses on female researchers and their success stories, with the aim of contributing to the integration of science into Portuguese society and possibly inspiring young people to pursue their vocations.

In the 2023 edition, three CESAM researchers, Ana Hilário, Ana Cristina Figueiredo, and Edna Correia, were honored.

Ana Hilário stated, “Close to half of the researchers in Portugal are women, and that deserves to be celebrated because unfortunately, this is not the reality in much of the world, where access to training and education in the sciences is denied to women.” Edna Correia further emphasized, “It is with great joy that I am part of this initiative by Ciência Viva to honor women in science. I believe that this work is very important to put a face and a voice to women scientists so they can be known and recognized. I hope these books also help to show that there are Portuguese women in all areas of science, you just need to want to find them!”

You can learn more about this project here.

Our researcher Heliana Teixeira (CESAM/DBIO) was featured on the program “Sociedade Civil” on RTP 2 this Monday, March 13th, where she discussed the issue of invasive species.

The researcher is actively engaged in scientific work related to this topic, including her membership since 2021 in InvECO (Portuguese Network for the Study and Management of Invasive Species) of SPECO and collaboration since 2019 with LifeWatch ERIC IJI, developing Virtual Research Environments for non-indigenous and invasive species.

Watch the program on RTP Play at: https://www.rtp.pt/play/p11183/e678018/sociedade-civil

Another edition of the “Encontro Fora da Caixa”, a debate series promoted by Caixa Geral de Depósitos in partnership with the newspaper Observador, took place on March 21. This debate, focused on the theme ‘The Blue Economy,’ was held at the Casa da Cultura de Ílhavo and featured several speakers, including Paulo Jorge Ferreira, the Rector of the University of Aveiro (UA).

Moderated by Paulo Ferreira from Rádio Observador, this debate sought to address questions such as: What challenges and opportunities does the Blue Economy offer for Portugal’s economic and social development? Is it possible to explore the sea sustainably? And how?

The debate included interventions from José Maria Costa, Secretary of State for the Sea, Ruben Eiras, Secretary-General of Fórum Oceano, and Paulo Moita Macedo, CEO of Caixa Geral de Depósitos.

The Rector of the University of Aveiro had the closing intervention in this edition of the ‘Out of the Box Encounter,’ where he emphasized the important role of the University of Aveiro in the Blue Economy. He highlighted the Center for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), “which has intensive activity in the marine and coastal ecosystems area (…) is strongly internationalized and takes a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach to marine issues, without neglecting decision support and public policies.”

In a well-received address, Paulo Jorge Ferreira also highlighted some of the University of Aveiro’s marine-related infrastructures that are connected to the city of Ílhavo, such as CITAQUA (Center for Innovation and Technology in Aquaculture) and ECOMARE (Innovation and Sustainability Laboratory for Marine Resources). He also identified the goals of several scientific projects integrated into CESAM, such as Restore4C, BESIDE, A-AAgora, BlueCC, a recently approved Life project, WINBIG, and Sea2See, all being significant for marine research.

Towards the end, in a direct conversation with moderator Paulo Ferreira, the UA Rector also emphasized the role of the unit ‘UA Coopera’ in connecting the university with the business community and the strategic relevance of CESAM’s scientific activities and areas for the University of Aveiro.

The full debate can be watched here.

Three weeks ago, on March 4th, in New York, the UN Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction announced that the member states had reached an agreement for a treaty to protect the high seas. The new treaty, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), addresses the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ).

This agreement, which has been under discussion among member states for 20 years, provides a legal framework for ocean regions beyond national borders.

Considered a historic moment by the Conference President, Ambassador Rena Lee of Singapore, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, this agreement has made headlines in major newspapers worldwide. Whether international newspapers like The Guardian or Portuguese newspapers like Público, Diário de Notícias, or Expresso.

“It has been a long journey to reach a treaty. We count on the 52 states that make up the High Ambition Coalition to lead the task of adopting, ratifying, and identifying important high seas areas to be protected,” said Rebecca Hubbard in the press release issued by the High Seas Alliance.

To better understand the significance of this agreement, we spoke with two of our experts in this field, Ana Hilário and Fátima Lopes Alves.

CESAM: In general terms, what is this treaty? What are its objectives?

Ana Hilário: This treaty is related to the management and protection of biodiversity over 60% of our planet – the area beyond national jurisdiction, which is not subject to the laws or control of any individual nation. This area hosts a wide variety of marine species, from phytoplankton to blue whales that don’t recognize national boundaries! This new treaty enables the creation of marine protected areas beyond national jurisdiction, which is crucial to achieving the goal set last year: protecting 30% of the planet’s lands and oceans by 2030.

Fátima Lopes Alves: The goal of the new treaty is to establish a comprehensive legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, including the establishment of marine protected areas and the regulation of activities such as fishing, mining, and bioprospecting. The treaty also aims to enhance international cooperation and scientific research to better understand and manage the complex and interconnected ocean ecosystems.

Negotiations for the new treaty text have been ongoing since 2018 and have involved a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, NGOs, and the private sector.

CESAM: What is the social and ecological relevance of this treaty?

Ana Hilário: As marine biodiversity faces threats such as overfishing, climate change, and emerging activities like deep-sea mining, this new treaty, once ratified, will create an international legal framework focused on protecting oceanic species or ecosystems. Human well-being worldwide depends on a healthy ocean: the ocean is the planet’s largest climate buffer, and billions of people directly rely on the ocean for food and employment. The new treaty protects nature, but also people.

Fátima Lopes Alves: It’s highly relevant both in terms of social and ecological impacts.

From a social perspective, the treaty has the potential to address many of the challenges the ocean faces, such as overfishing, pollution, and biodiversity loss. The ocean is a vital resource for human well-being and supports a wide range of industries, including fishing, tourism, and shipping. By establishing a comprehensive legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in ABNJ, the treaty can help ensure the long-term health and resilience of the ocean, which is essential for the continued prosperity of coastal communities and the global economy.

From an ecological perspective, the treaty is also highly relevant. The ocean is one of the planet’s most biodiverse and ecologically complex environments, essential for Earth’s systems like regulating global climate and providing oxygen through photosynthesis. However, the ocean is also threatened by human activities, including fishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change. By establishing stronger regulations and protections for the ocean, the treaty can help safeguard marine biodiversity and ensure the continued functioning of these critical ecosystems.

Short Biographies

Ana Hilário is a deep-sea biologist at the Center for Environmental and Marine Studies at the University of Aveiro. Over the past 15 years, Ana has led several projects and participated in more than 20 oceanographic cruises dedicated to studying deep-sea ecosystems, with extensive experience in seafloor sampling. She currently co-leads Challenger 150 (www.challenger150.world), a 10-year program of deep-sea biological science endorsed by the UN’s Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Fátima Lopes Alves is a professor at the Department of Environment and Planning at the University of Aveiro and a researcher and member of the Center for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM). With over 28 years of professional experience, her main areas of expertise are Coastal and Marine Planning and Governance, Planning of Protected Area Territories, and Environmental Assessment. In September 2018, she joined the Portuguese team nominated by FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) to join the Permanent Mission of Portugal to the UN in the negotiations of this treaty.

The event provided an opportunity for researchers from the Center for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) at the University of Aveiro to present some of the initial theoretical forest planning scenarios proposed for a pilot area located in the Bragança district, specifically the Forest Intervention Zone of Baixa da Lombada. This zone is managed by the Association of Traditional and Environmental Agricultural Producers and is part of the Integrated Landscape Management Areas network.

The presentation of these scenarios served as the basis for a workshop, which involved a participatory exercise where various stakeholders, including landowners and other participants, had the opportunity to enrich the presented landscape management and transformation models with their proposals for the territory. These proposals were aligned with their objectives and visions for the area.

The information gathered will be incorporated into new forest management models for the Baixa da Lombada Integrated Landscape Management Area. These models will then be subjected to wildfire propagation modeling under future climate scenarios. The goal is to determine which management or landscape transformation strategies could result in reduced fire-affected areas.

The FoRES project – Development of Forest RESilience to Fire in a Climate Change Scenario – funded by the EEA Grants program, is coordinated by CESAM and involves partners such as the collaborative laboratory ForestWISE and the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO).

More information about this project can be found here.

Ricardo Calado (CESAM/DBIO) has been appointed as an expert in the technical committee that advises the interministerial working group in the areas of the sea, science and technology, and territorial cohesion.

The Technical Committee consists of 15 experts appointed by the government member responsible for the sea area, upon the proposal of the Oceano Azul Foundation. The University of Aveiro is also part of the Monitoring Committee of this working group, represented by Artur Silva, Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation, and 3rd Cycle Training and Accreditation of Study Cycles.

The newly formed working group aims to propose a set of measures that ensure a competitive framework for the blue biotechnology sector in Portugal and propose a technical and management model, by September 30, 2023, for the International Center for Blue Biotechnology to be established in Matosinhos.

On April 18th, the presentation ceremony of the Red List of Mammals of Mainland Portugal took place at the National Museum of Natural History and Science. The event, featuring several speakers, included the presence of the general coordinator of the project, Maria da Luz Mathias (CESAM/FCUL).

The Center for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) and the Center for Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Changes (cE3c) were the organizations responsible for the scientific coordination of this project. The project’s beneficiary is FCiências.ID – Association for Research and Development of Sciences, and the partner is ICNF – Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests.

The Red List is a public document created to record rare and threatened species of plants and animals, as well as some local subspecies, present in a specific region. It serves to classify wild species that inhabit a territory based on their risk of extinction within a given period.

These assessments inform decisions regarding nature conservation policies and generally catalyze projects and actions aimed at preserving biodiversity. The assessment can be done at the global and regional levels (by countries or regions) and is an important tool that provides information about species distribution, population size, habitat and ecology, uses, and threats.

Each species is assigned a category according to the risk of extinction they face: Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, for example. These categories are based on the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which apply to all species. This allows for comparisons between analogous situations, and whenever more information becomes available, the threat statuses can be updated.

For additional information about the project, please visit this link.