Mónia Nakamura

I graduated in Biology at the Faculty of Sciences - University of Lisbon (FCUL). I finished my MSc in Conservation Biology at the same institution, with the thesis entitled "Influence of supplementary feeding sites on the social organization of European bison (Bison bonasus) in Bialowieza Primeval Forest (Poland)", which was based on radio-telemetry and bison group sizes.

I have been working in wolf (Canis lupus) monitoring, research and conservation projects since 2007 in Northwest Portugal. Thus, fieldwork concerning ecology, conservation, distribution, and behaviour of this large carnivore are my primary knowledge and interest. Meanwhile I have also performed monitoring fieldwork of Iberian wolf in other study areas in Portugal (Serra da Cabreira and South of Douro River population), of African golden wolf in Senegal, and of desert foxes in Morocco, in projects within CIBIO/InBIO.

In 2019 I enrolled in the BIODIV PhD program of the University of Porto with a FCT grant. In my PhD I will investigate how anthropogenic factors affect wolf occupancy, homesite selection and how these patterns are linked to the variation in wolf demography in human-dominated landscapes. I will develop an integrated population model to predict the fate of the wolf population under alternative scenarios. Ultimately, I aim to propose science-based management and conservation actions for wolf conservation in the Iberian Peninsula.