Tharsila Carranza
tc353@cam.ac.uk
Tel:
+44 (0) 1223 336670
After completion of a Bachelors degree in Ecology in São Paulo, Brazil, I moved to the Amazon to work as a conservation practitioner. During this time I was involved with a variety of projects, including restoration of riparian forests with the participation of the local community and partner organisations, preliminary studies for the creation of a protected area, and biodiversity surveys in Amazonian savannas. In 2006 I moved to the UK to undertake a Masters course at the University of East Anglia, followed by an internship at the Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London. I have just been awarded a studentship to join the Conservation Science Group as a PhD student .
Research Interests
My current research focuses on understanding how conservation activities translate into conservation impacts (or effects on the likelihood of native habitats and species to persist in the wild). To bridge the gap between science and practice of conservation, and improve the effectiveness of conservation activities, it is necessary to understand how practitioners address conservation problems, and which strategies are more likely to succeed. Improving effectiveness is crucial for reducing the rate of biodiversity loss, and best allocating limited financial resources in conservation.
At present, I am working on refining and streamlining the Cambridge Conservation Forum Project Evaluation Tool. As part of my PhD I will explore the application of this tool on conservation activities in various regions and biomes of Brazil , looking at key factors that contribute to conservation impacts in different habitats.
My PhD project is supported by a Miriam Rothschild Studentship in Conservation Biology and supervised by Professor Andrew Balmford.
Publications
- Carranza, T. T., Batista, R., and Peres, C. A. 'Spatial distribution of canopy disturbance in Amazonian forest fragments'. In prep.
- Pinto, F. S., Keizer, E. H., Barbosa, R. I., Souza, C. C. de, Ferreira, S. R. B., Lamberts, A. V. D. H.; Souza, B. de C., Cardoso, G., Borges, O. ; Marinho, S., Diehl, L., Surita, L., Bocorny, R., Quitiaquez, J., and Carranza, T. T. (2009) 'Critérios e Indicadores para a Criação de uma Unidade de Conservação nas Savanas de Roraima', Arpa - Áreas Protegidas da Amazônia, 2, 63-72. Available at http://www.mma.gov.br/estruturas/sbf_arpa2008/_publicacao/154_publicacao31032009094817.pdf
- Loh, J., Collen, B., McRae, L., Carranza, T. T., Pamplin, F. A., Amin, R. and Baillie, J. E. M. (2008) Living Planet Index. In C. Hails (Ed.) Living Planet Report (pp. 6-13). Gland: WWF International. Available at http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/lpr_2008.pdf
