Researcher Joana Nogueira receives Young Scientist of the Year award

A researcher from CIBIO-BIOPOLIS has been distinguished with the Young Scientist of the Year Award during the 5th Fluviário de Mora Symposium, an event dedicated to the discussion of freshwater ecosystems and aquatic biodiversity conservation.
 

The award recognised innovative research focused on the application of environmental DNA (eDNA) to freshwater biodiversity conservation and spatial planning. The study explores how eDNA can improve conservation planning and biodiversity monitoring for freshwater bivalves across France by comparing biodiversity information obtained through eDNA with conventional species occurrence data from public databases.

The research demonstrates that eDNA is particularly valuable because it can detect species that are often missed by conventional surveys, including rare and threatened species. By integrating eDNA and conventional ecological data into spatial conservation prioritisation plans, the study showed that priority areas become more robust and more representative of actual biodiversity patterns.

Overall, the work highlights the strong potential of eDNA as a transformative tool for conservation planning, especially when combined with conventional ecological data rather than replacing it.

"Being an enthusiast for the natural world, winning an award for this work is especially meaningful because it recognises our contribution to advancing freshwater conservation science,” said the researcher. "It is also very special because it recognises the work early-career researchers do that can make a difference for conservation, especially for such an imperilled species group such as freshwater bivalves.”