João Paulo Silva

I completed my PhD in Ecology in 2011 at Universidade de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências. Currently, I am a researcher and leader of the TRACE/Steppe Birds MOVE group at BIOPOLIS-CIBIO/University of Porto, where I focus on developing science-driven solutions for wildlife conservation, particularly for threatened ground-nesting steppe birds.

My career began in the 1990s as a Conservation Biologist with the Portuguese conservation administration. For two decades, I played a pivotal role in conservation management, contributing to the creation of a national network of priority conservation sites for steppe birds, promoting cross-border cooperation with Spanish authorities, and pioneering collaborations with powerline companies to mitigate the impact of utility infrastructure on birds.

As a researcher and group leader at CIBIO, my work now centres on steppe bird ecology, investigating the mechanisms behind species decline and devising evidence-based conservation strategies. I lead long-term monitoring programs that utilize GPS tracking and field-based monitoring to generate high-resolution data. These efforts address critical conservation challenges, including habitat management, bird collisions with powerlines, climate change, and other emerging threats.