My research explores the links between education and biodiversity conservation. I am particularly interested in how conservation NGOs implement education programmes in rural communities in Madagascar and how they affect local cultures, environments and knowledge systems. I have mainly been doing qualitative research using interviews, focus groups and participant observation as methodologies.

Projects

Unpacking the role of education as a tool for biodiversity conservation

Projects

Assessing the effectiveness of the Malagasy protected area network

Hi! I am Marianna Birmoser Ferreira-Aulu, project researcher and doctoral student at the University of Turku (UTU), Finland. My long-term professional goal is to contribute to society by exploring innovative pathways towards just and sustainable futures. I intend to do this by producing high-quality scientific materials, by popularizing science to catalyze positive transformations, and by engaging with the civil society to collaborate with various stakeholders. During the past five years, I have been working as project researcher in two departments in the University of Turku: the Finland Futures Research Centre, and the Centre for Collaborative Research. I have been engaged with various projects in strategic foresight, futures literacy, sustainability and climate action, renewable energy, food research, and international collaboration. In addition to desk research, I enjoy doing workshop facilitation (have experience in Finland, Peru and Colombia). I have also been quite active in public speaking, by giving talks in various seminars and conferences. I also enjoy cooperating to developing the strategy of our own organization. I have represented UTU in international cooperation initiatives through international education services. Since the beginning of 2021, I have also been pursuing my doctoral degree in Futures Studies. The working-title of my dissertation is “Building a Strategic Roadmap for Ecologically Sound and Socio-politically supported Conservation of the Brazilian Amazonia”. The research takes into consideration the local socio-political dynamics, the uniqueness of its peoples and its biodiversity. I look at the conservation of Amazonia as a wicked problem that needs diverse set of actions to attempt to solve it. This research topic is a continuation, and expansion of my Master’s Thesis, where I explored futures scenarios for the Volta Grande do Xingu, the region most affected by the construction of the Belo Monte Dam, in the East of the Brazilian Amazonia.

Projects

CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY AND WATER RESOURCES IN THE WESTERN AMAZON BASIN: ALTO MAYO BASIN, PERU AND ORITO, MOCOA, GUINEO AND ORTEGUÁZA BASINS, COLOMBIA

Projects

Owl biodiversity and possible new owl species in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru

My research focus is on Ips typographus (European spruce bark beetle) as it could cause severe damage under climate change on Picea abies, one of the two most important commercial forest species in Finland. I aim to assess the risk of forest damage by this insect pest, which is useful to improve the health management of P. abies. A better understanding of the risks of I. typographus damages on P. abies under climate change will support forest managers to improve forest resilience. With these, I aim to assess the risk of distribution shift of I. typographus outbreaks under alternative climate change projections in Finland.

The overarching aim of my research is to develop new, sustainable forest management practices and policies that can pave the way for energy transition, climate change mitigation and adaptation, without compromising ecosystem services or the implementation of biodiversity targets. I have expertise in dynamic forest carbon cycle modeling, systems analysis, climate impact assessment, ecosystem service and biodiversity modeling as well as in policies related to climate change mitigation and the sustainability of bioenergy.

Projects

Biodiversity of cyanobacteria and their bioactive compounds from under-explored Brazilian habitats

Projects

Ecohydrology of tropical montane forests of the Andean Amazon

Andean treelines in a changing climate: Predicting forest persistence and upslope advance

My research focuses on market-based conservation instruments, mainly biodiversity offsetting and their role in sustainability transformations. I study the diverse socio-ecological contexts in which these instruments are implemented and how the contexts influence their acceptance and uptake, both in the Global North and South. Currently my interest in is biodiversity offsetting in Colombia and Finland, which are the cases of my PhD research. I have also studied the science-policy-society interfaces related to European biodiversity policy and innovations related to forest ecosystem services.