GROUP DESCRIPTION

Group Description

UESFOR is a new research group that merged researchers from LPDM and FORECOL groups. Their previous works led to a different but complementary research lines focused on combining a strong knowledge on ecology with the social and human dimensions of forestry both in rural and urban areas. This group leads research on urban ecology and social forestry, with a strong emphasis on urban green infrastructure planning and biodiversity, forestry and risk governance, complemented with forests cultural and pedagogical dimension as a way to better promote biodiversity and a more sustainable urban and forestry management. UESFOR has 2 main research lines:

Urban Ecology: It is a result of 3 national projects all of them with a strong interdisciplinary approach.

1. Project LX Gardens (concluded) analyzed the Lisbon's Historic Gardens and Parks and their contribution to urban biodiversity.
2. PERIURBAN (concluded) studied the Periurban areas in the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon. Our team focused on the ecological dimensions, promoting innovative approaches to include biodiversity and ecosystem services in periurban planning.
3. NOVOID project (ongoing) studies the ruins and vacant lands in the Portuguese cities by exploring hidden life in urban derelicts and alternative planning proposals for the perforated city.

Social forestry: research derives from projects addressing forest education, social vulnerability to wildfires, society resilience to natural hazards and governance of community forestry (FAO project). As a result, 3 PhD projects were developed:

1. on education and reduction of wildfire risk (Colaço, 2017);
2. on governance and management of community forestry areas in mainland Portugal (Skulska, on-going);
3. on the impact of sacred and symbolic places to forest conservation (Cuartas, on-going).

Besides these two lines, our team works on education, science communication and promotion of biodiversity through different forms of art for a large.

Team

Publications

Projects

Student Supervisions