Projects

Ongoing projects

MontObEO is a 3 year research project funded by FCT (Portugal) aiming to implement an early-warning system, the Montesinho Biodiversity Observatory, by using time series of satellite remote sensing data and ecological niche models to identify changes on habitat quality and species extinction risk over time and space.

NA2RE

The NA2RE project compiles updated data about the distribution of European amphibians and reptiles. NA2RE is based in a system of distributed online databases.

GeoLIBERO's general objective is to consolidate and make sustainable over time a thematic network for the exchange of knowledge and cooperation between different R & D & I groups of the Ibero-American region related to the field of Geomatics and its application to the needs and study of the main problems in Latin America. GeoLibero is CYTED project.

The COST action PERIAMAR (PEsticide RIsk AssessMent for Amphibians and Reptiles) aims to propose a procedure to avoid unacceptable risks of pesticides to amphibians and reptiles at the European level, through a multidisciplinary network of scientists from academia, government, business and non-governmental organizations.

The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) will be the first transcontinental radio telescope ever created. It will add 3,000 parabolic antennas and one million dipole antennas. Mid-frequency antennas will be joined by Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius and Zambia, will be able to increase the rate of celestial observation in ten thousand times, with a sensitivity 50 times superior.

Past projects

HOUSE

A multidisciplinary approach to determine home ranges of Iberian lacertids using GIS, remote sensing, ecological niche modelling, and spatial statistics.

ROAD-KILLS

We propose two different solutions for monitoring road-kills: 1) a Mobile Mapping System to detect automatically amphibians' road-kills in roads, and 2) a Fixed Detection System to monitor automatically road-kills in a particular road place during a long time.

LIFE LINES

LIFE LINES

This Life project aims to essay, evaluate and disseminate practices directed at mitigation of negative effects from transport/energy infrastructures in wild fauna and simultaneously promote the creation, along them, of a demonstrative Green Infrastructure.

Funded research projects

  1. HOUSE: a multidisciplinary approach to determine home ranges of Iberian lacertids. 2010-2013. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal), Ref. PTDC/BIA–BEC/102280/2008. PI: Sillero, N.

  2. NA2RE: The New Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles of Europe. 2012–2014. Societas Europaea Herpetologica. PI: Sillero, N.

  3. A multidisciplinary approach to determine home ranges of Podarcis carbonelli. 2010. Access to Unique Technological and Scientific Infrastructure Programme Doñana Scientific Reserve ICTS–RBD (Spain). PI: Sillero, N.

  4. NA2RE: The New Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles of Europe. 2016–2017. Societas Europaea Herpetologica. PI: Sillero, N.

  5. MontObEO – Montesinho biodiversity observatory: an Earth Observation tool for biodiversity conservation. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal), Ref. MTS/BRB/0091/2020. PI: Sillero, N.

Participation in other research projects

  1. Atlas de Anfibios y Reptiles de España y Libro Rojo. Subproyecto Cartografía. 2000-2002. Asociación Herpetológica Española. PI: V. Pérez–Mellado. Mapping production: Sillero, N.

  2. Atlas de Anfibios y Reptiles de Castilla y León. 2000-2002. Junta de Castilla y León–Asociación Herpetológica Española. PI: M. Lizana. Mapping production: Sillero, N.

  3. Plano Nacional de Conservação da Herpetofauna y Atlas de Anfíbios e Répteis de Portugal Continental. 2003-2006. Instituto de Conservação da Natureza, CIBIO–University of Porto & CBA–Facultade de Ciências de Universidade de Lisboa. PI: Loureiro, A.; Ferrand, N.; Paulo, O. Mapping production: Sillero, N.

  4. Inventarição, distribuição e conservação da herpetofauna do sítio Natura 2000 – Alvão–Marão. 2002–2004. Instituto de Conservação da Natureza, CIBIO–University of Porto. PI: M.A. Carretero. Mapping production: Sillero, N.

  5. Estudo de monitorização da herpetofauna nas áreas ardidas do Parque Natural da Serra de S. Mamede. 2005. Instituto de Conservação da Natureza, CIBIO–University of Porto. PI: M.A. Carretero. Team member: Sillero, N.

  6. The Carbonell Lizard (Podarcis carbonelli) in the low Guadalquivir. Taxonomical characterisation, biogeographical modelling and conservation status. 2007. Access to Unique Technological and Scientific Infrastructure Programme Doñana Scientific Reserve ICTS–RBD (Spain). PI: M.A. Carretero. Team member: Sillero, N.

  7. The role of ecological barriers in the genetic structure of viperid snakes: a multi–scale approach. 2005-2007. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Ref. POCI/BIA–BDE/55596/2004. PI: J.C. Brito. Team member: Sillero, N.

  8. Evaluación del estado de las poblaciones de Lacerta schreiberi Bedriaga, 1878, en Castilla–La Mancha. 2007. Asociación Herpetológica Española - Junta de Castilla–La Mancha. Modelling production: Sillero, N.

  9. Biogeographic and Evolutionary Patterns in Isolated Vertebrates from Mauritania. 2008-2009. Geographic Society (grant 8412–08) & CIBIO. PI: J.C. Brito. Team member: Sillero, N.

  10. Towards mechanistic distribution models in wall lizards. Comparative ecophysiology of Podarcis carbonelli and P. vaucheri in Low Guadalquivir. 2009. Access to Unique Technological and Scientific Infrastructure Programme Doñana Scientific Reserve ICTS–RBD (Spain). PI: M.A. Carretero. Team member: Sillero, N.

  11. METALAND: Inferring Metapopulation Dynamics with Landscape Genetics for Vertebrates of Mauritanian Mountains. 2010-2012. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Ref. PTDC/BIA–BEC/099934/2008. PI: J.C. Brito. Team member: Sillero, N.

  12. Evolution of lizard ecophysiology. Applying character tracking and mechanistic models. 2010-2012. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Ref. PTDC/BIA–BEC/101256/2008. PI: M.A. Carretero. Team member: Sillero, N.

  13. AMPHIBIA – How will climate changes influence the viability of amphibian populations already stressed with anthropogenic contamination. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Ref. PTDC/AAC–AMB/104532/2008. PI: I. Lopes. Team member: Sillero, N.

  14. Preserving Armenian biodiversity: Joint Portuguese – Armenian program for training in modern conservation biology. 2010. Fundação Gulbenkian. PI: N. Ferrand. Team member: Sillero, N.

  15. Roadkills: Intelligent systems for mapping amphibian mortality on Portuguese roads. 2013–2015. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal), Ref. PTDC/BIA–BIC/4296/2012. PI: G. Lopes. Original idea & team member: Sillero, N.

  16. LIFE LINES: Linear Infrastructure Networks with Ecological Solutions. 2015-2020. Life Project, Ref. LIFE14 NAT/PT/001081. PI: A. Mira. FCUP group coordinator: Sillero, N.

  17. ENgAGE SKA: ENAbling Green E–science Capacitation & Sustainability. 2017-2020. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Ref. 022217. PI: D. Barbosa. Team member: Sillero, N.

  18. Doppler – DevelOpment of PaloP knowledge in Radioastronomy International Cooperation. 2018-2020. Aga–Khan Fundation Development Network/ Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Ref. 333197717. PI: V. Ribeiro. Team member: Sillero, N.

  19. Mandeo – Desarrollo de modelos predictivos de la conectividad funcional de poblaciones amenazadas en zonas de especial conservación. 2018-2020. Fundación Biodiversidad. PI: H. Naveira Fachal. Team member: Sillero, N.

  20. Mindeco – Impactos del calentamiento global sobre las poblaciones de anfibios en Parques Nacionales: efectos directos e interacciones con patógenos y depredadores. 2018-2020. Red de Parques Nacionales. Ref. SPIP2017–02379. PI: I. González–Nicieza. Team member:Sillero, N.

  21. PERIAMAR – PEsticide RIsk AssessMent for Amphibians and Reptiles. 2019-2023. COST action. Ref. CA18221. PI: M.E. Ortiz-Santaliestra. Coordinator WG2.1: Sillero, N.

  22. Geolibero – Consolidación de una red de geomática libre aplicada a las necesidades de Iberoamérica. 2020-2024. CYTED. PI: A. Anguix. Coordinator Portugal: Sillero, N.

  23. GCRESPONSE - A reptile model and 3600 m of altitudinal gradient to infer the ectotherm responses to global change in Portugal. 2018-2022. Ref. PTDC/BIA-CBI/28014/2017. PI: M.A. Carretero. Team member: Sillero, N.