SCIENCE COMMUNICATION / Environmental Education / ADVOCACY / OUTREACH
Science Communication and Educational activities
✅ Developed and led several Environmental Education and raising Awareness activities on Freshwater Biodiversity and River Ecosystems with Schools, Master's and Bachelor's students, and general public (in Italy and Portugal). Examples (see also pics below):
Environmental Education session on River Restoration at a school within an ANP|WWF project funded by ORP - Martim Longo, Alcoutim, Portugal. 05/2024.
Tutoring kids in climbing and cooking fresh, hand-made pasta with insects flour for the Researchers Day for Ciência Viva - Lisbon, Portugal. 09/2022.
Guide in a Marine Biology Citizen Science expedition along the Tagus River estuary, for the "Ciência no Verão" initiative, hired by Ciência Viva - Lisbon, Portugal. 08/2019.
Organizer of an Environmental Awareness activity on Freshwater Ecosystems for the "World Otter Day", in collaboration with International Otter Survival Fund, Biodiversity4All and SPEA, Lagoa Pequena, Sesimbra, Portugal. 05/2018.
Planner and executor of an innovative method for Environmental Education on Freshwater Ecosystem Conservation at EB1 Natália Correia primary school, Lisbon, Portugal. 05/2018 (see video below!).
✅ Courses attended on Scientific Communication, Communication, Personal Development, and other topics that improved my communication skills:
Scientific Communication course, CIBIO-InBIO, Vairão, Portugal, 2015.
Scientific Article Writing course, by "La Sapienza" University of Rome, Italy, 2007.
Documentary Cinematography course, by Prof. Carlo Alberto Pinelli , held in the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park, Italy, August 2001.
Various Personal Development, Communication, and Body Language courses, by HRD (which I used to collaborate with). 2001.
I often use innovative and entertaining styles to render Science more appealing and comprehensive (and fun!) for all. See for example the "stretching" sessions that I gave during my presentations at the VII Dam Removal Europe International Seminar and at the Italian Theriologists conference (videos below).
✅ Developed awareness tools on Freshwater Biodiversity and River Restoration:
Policy Brief on Dam Removal to help improve the engagement of the Portuguese Government and Decision-makers in River Restoration (picture below).
Pop-up book on Dam Removal to illustrate the benefits of Restoring the River Continuity by removing a dam (picture below).
Petition to engage the public and appeal to the Government to give priority and urgency to River Restoration, through the Removal of Obsolete River Barriers.
Freshwater Native and Invasive Species Cards Memory Game (picture below).
✅ Good knowledge of EU nature/biodiversity policies and legal frameworks, particularly related to freshwater ecosystems, and Nature-based Solutions.
World Otter Day 2018 - Raising awareness on otters, Pyrenean desman, invasive crayfish, and freshwater ecosystem conservation - Lagoa Pequena, Sesimbra, Portugal (collaboration with International Otter Survival Fund, Biodiversity4All and SPEA).
Citizen Science expedition focused on Marine Biology along the Tagus River's estuary (Parque das Nações), for the initiative "Ciência no Verão", in collaboration with Ciência Viva - Lisbon, Portugal, August 2019.
Environmental Education, in name of ANP|WWF, and together with A. Martins, technician of the ICNF, on the importance of healthy, free rivers at the school of Martim Longo, (Alcoutim, Portugal - June 2024).
Environmental education on freshwater ecosystem conservation at the primary school EB1 Natália Correia, Lisbon, within the World Otter Day 2018.
Pop-Up Book illustrating the benefits of restoring the river continuity by removing a dam., developed for ANP|WWF (designs and assembling by Gabriela Romagna).
Environmental Education Memory Cards Game developed for ANP|WWF (designs by Cecilia De Sanctis) to increase awareness on river biodiversity.
Policy Brief on Dam Removal to help improve the engagement of the Portuguese Government and Decision-makers in River Restoration.
An original oral presentation: "stretching" mirroring rivers before dammed and then restored at the VII Dam Removal Europe International Seminar (Lisbon, Portugal - May 2022).
Another original oral presentation: "stretching" mirroring the Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus), during a talk on severe range contraction of Pyrenean desman in NE Portugal at the Italian Theriologists conference (Florence, Italy - June 2018).
POPULAR ARTICLES/INTERVIEWS
Opinion Articles on Portuguese Local Press ('Expresso' and ‘Observador’') for Dam Removal Advocacy (advocating for the removal of obsolete river barriers).
Interview on national TV (RTP Biosfera) on our Dam Removal work.
Interviews on my scientific research on the Iberian desman decline on various local & national press ('Público', 'Diário de Notícias', 'Wilder', 'Nordeste') and radio (rádio Brigantia).
Interview on my scientific research on otters on national TVs (Terra Alerta and Biosfera, respectively on SIC and RTP), magazines ('UEONLINE'), and books ("Lontras em Portugal", Eds. Caetano, P. & Ferreira, J.P.).
An Iberian desman individual that I've captured was chosen to be the 8000th species photographed by Joel Sartore for his PhotoArk project: see National Geographic Society release.