The research investigates population dynamics and estimates the extinction risk of rare, endemic, and/or threatened plant species through demographic monitoring and population viability modeling (PVA), with the aim of supporting conservation, management, and restoration actions in areas affected by mining and climate change. Activities include analyzing the population dynamics of species such as Parapiqueria cavalcantei, Carajasia cangae, Daphnopsis filipedunculata, and Ipomoea cavalcantei in different environments, as well as developing methodological approaches to assess extinction risk. Expected outcomes include the generation of key information on the dynamics of these species, the projection of risk scenarios under different environmental conditions, and the provision of technical inputs to support species management, conservation, and restoration planning.
PVA – Population Viability Analyses Applied to the Conservation and Management of Endemic and Threatened Species
Parauapebas-PA
Research Group
Environmental Genomics
Area of activity
Genômica
Vigência
Jan2026 to Dec2029
Coordinator

Carolina Carvalho
PhD in Ecology and Biodiversity
Researchers

PhD in Ecology and Natural Resources Management

PhD in Biology

PhD in Biological Sciences

Carolina Carvalho
PhD in Ecology and Biodiversity
Carolina Carvalho holds a PhD in Ecology and Biodiversity from São Paulo State University (UNESP), a master’s degree in Ecology and Evolution from the Federal University of Goiás (UFG), and a degree in Biological Sciences from UNESP. As a researcher at ITV DS, she investigates how landscape structure, human activities, and intraspecific variation influence ecological processes such as pollination and seed dispersal. Carvalho uses barcoding, metabarcoding, geotechnologies, and statistical methods to monitor species and understand ecological interactions.
She was an intern at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and at the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO) in Portugal.
Docente em
Graduate studies
Professional Master’s Degree in Sustainable Use of Natural Resources in Tropical
Projetos relacionados
Projeto
Plantomics: Omics tools applied to the conservation and management of endemic and threatened plants
Projeto
PDEoeste Propagation and Cultivation
Projeto
PDEoeste: restoration of cangas and conservation of rare species
Projeto
PVA – Population Viability Analyses Applied to the Conservation and Management of Endemic and Threatened Species
Projeto
Molecular research as a tool for biodiversity conservation (Genomics of the Brazilian Biodiversity – GBB)
Projeto
Brazil nut trees and other threatened species: ecology, propagation, and monitoring
Projeto
Biodiversity 4.0
Publicações relacionadas

Rafael Assis
PhD in Ecology and Natural Resources Management
Rafael Assis holds a PhD in Ecology and Natural Resource Management from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, a master’s degree in Botany from the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), and a degree in Biological Sciences from the State University of Londrina (UEL). He was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oslo, where he coordinated the Biodiversity Research Consortium Brazil-Norway. Currently, as a researcher at ITV DS, he works on the ecology of Amazonian ecosystems, forest dynamics, ecological succession, and phytosociology, with an emphasis on soil-plant interactions and tree regeneration.
Projetos relacionados
Projeto
PDEoeste Propagation and Cultivation
Projeto
PDEoeste Monit&Bioindic
Projeto
PDEoeste FuncEcos
Projeto
PDEoeste: restoration of cangas and conservation of rare species
Projeto
PVA – Population Viability Analyses Applied to the Conservation and Management of Endemic and Threatened Species
Projeto
Rare, endemic, and threatened plants of the Carajás FLONA
Projeto
Socio-environmental Data Platform for the Bays of São Marcos and São José, Maranhão
Projeto
Biodiversity 4.0
Publicações relacionadas

Valéria Tavares
PhD in Biology
Valéria Tavares holds a PhD in Biology (Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics) from the City University of New York / American Museum of Natural History (CUNY/AMNH), a master’s degree in Ecology, Conservation and Wildlife Management from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), and a bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the same university.
As a full researcher at ITV DS, she leads the Biodiversity and Environmental Solutions group. A lecturer and advisor in graduate programs at various institutions, she has experience in phylogenetic systematics, taxonomy, mastozoology, ecology, and conservation, with a focus on bats (Chiroptera), geographic diversity, faunal monitoring, and community ecology analyses.
Docente em
Graduate studies
Professional Master’s Degree in Sustainable Use of Natural Resources in Tropical
Projetos relacionados
Projeto
Systematic Reviews and Evaluation of Target Taxa in Licensing Processes
Projeto
Plant Endemism and Distribution
Projeto
Biosystematics and evolution of critical plants
Projeto
PVA – Population Viability Analyses Applied to the Conservation and Management of Endemic and Threatened Species
Projeto
Rare, endemic, and threatened plants of the Carajás FLONA
Projeto
Molecular research as a tool for biodiversity conservation (Genomics of the Brazilian Biodiversity – GBB)
Projeto
Socio-environmental Data Platform for the Bays of São Marcos and São José, Maranhão
Projeto
Cavities – Biological Diversity
Projeto
Brazil nut trees and other threatened species: ecology, propagation, and monitoring
Projeto
Biodiversity 4.0
Projeto
Integrative assessment of bat population responses to mining activities
Projeto
Cavities – Refining Bat Sampling
Publicações relacionadas

Maurício Watanabe
PhD in Biological Sciences
Maurício Watanabe holds a PhD and a master’s degree in Science (Botany) from the University of São Paulo (USP), and a teaching degree (Licenciatura) in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) (2005). He completed a sandwich doctorate at the Field Museum of Natural History. As a researcher at ITV DS, Watanabe focuses on taxonomy, systematics, molecular phylogeny, and morphometry, especially in the Eriocaulaceae family.
Docente em
Graduate studies
Professional Master’s Degree in Sustainable Use of Natural Resources in Tropical
Projetos relacionados
Projeto
Plant Endemism and Distribution
Projeto
Biosystematics and evolution of critical plants
Projeto
PVA – Population Viability Analyses Applied to the Conservation and Management of Endemic and Threatened Species
Projeto
Rare, endemic, and threatened plants of the Carajás FLONA
Projeto
GenoPlant: Comparative genomics for evolutionary studies of the taxonomic diversity of native plants
Projeto
Taxonomy and Propagation of Native Plant Species of the Iron Quadrangle
Projeto
Biodiversity 4.0
Publicações relacionadas