Freshwater conservation research earns Joana Nogueira a national award

BIOPOLIS-CIBIO researcher Joana Nogueira has been awarded the Second Prize in the 2026 Ecology PhD Award – Fundação Amadeu Dias, presented by the Portuguese Society of Ecology (SPECO). The distinction recognises the scientific excellence and impact of her doctoral research, which introduces innovative approaches to conserving freshwater ecosystems.

Completed at the University of Porto, her PhD developed a novel systematic conservation planning framework that integrates field observations, species databases, environmental DNA (eDNA) and ecological interaction networks to identify priority areas for freshwater conservation. By addressing the underrepresentation of freshwater ecosystems within Europe's protected area networks, the research provides new tools to support more effective conservation planning.

The findings show that many areas currently considered conservation priorities may have lost some of their ecological value due to outdated biodiversity data and limited long-term monitoring. They also demonstrate that combining conventional survey methods with environmental DNA, while accounting for species interactions, can improve the identification of priority conservation areas, including habitats supporting threatened or difficult-to-detect species.