Biography

I'm an early career conservation biologist from Portugal, extremely interested in marine conservation. I am researching the plastic debris distribution patterns in Australia, linking citizen science and environmental pollution. My previous experiences include a half-year internship within a community-based conservation project 'Turtles of Amazon: Preserving for the Future' at the National Institute of Amazonian Research in Brazil. The contact with local communities gave me unique inside knowledge of a community-based project, including establishment and management. This also allowed me to gain valuable social and ecological experience under challenging working conditions. My MSc thesis also provided relevant skills, including the ability to (1) identify possible variables affecting the distribution and abundance of micro-plastics and (2) an understanding of the complexities of the propagation and ingestion of micro-plastics through marine food chains. This project also provided me with the theoretical and practical knowledge in macro- and micro-plastic sampling. Since 2015, I have been a co-founder member of the Portuguese Herpetology Association for which I have been doing diversified citizen science work with different Portuguese communities and audiences (e.g. workshops, public and school appearances).

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