Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
I am Professor in Ecology and Global Environmental Change at the School of Environmental Sciences, UEA. Prior to being an academic at UEA, I was a postdoctoral researcher at the Universities of Leeds and York in the UK and at the Washington State University in the USA. I have a PhD in Conservation Biology (UEA), an MSc in Maths Applied to Biological Sciences (ISA, University of Lisbon) and an MSci in Biology with Ecology (University of Lisbon).
Impact statement
My research can help identify measures to protect endangered species and understand the impacts of global environmental change on the populations of wild species. This involves working together with governmental and non-governmental organisations to identify conservation actions and implement these measures on the ground. This work has been included in the Wildlife comeback in Europe report. I am interested in rewilding and in identifying conservation strategies for species that move across large geographic areas. My work quantified changes in butterfly distributions in response to climate change in the UK, documented in the Living with Environmental Change report card. Ultimately, humans should be able to thrive on our planet while leaving enough space for all other species and for ecosystems to deliver essential services.
Research Interests
I am an ecologist with a focus on movement ecology, biogeography and ecological responses to global change. My applied research examines the impacts of anthropogenic activities (e.g. land use change and energy infrastructure) on biodiversity and tries to identify measures to minimize detrimental effects.
My fundamental research targets understanding the mechanisms and drivers behind individual variability in animal movement strategies, including dispersal and migration. My group is involved in developing and testing new animal tracking technologies (GSM, LoRa devices with multiple sensors) aiming to investigate recent changes in animal movement strategies, for example, the establishment of non-migratory populations in previously wholly migratory species. Ultimately we are interested in understanding how and why these fundamental changes in migratory behaviour occur.
Research projects I am involved in a several research projects as Principal Investigator (PI) and co-Investigator (co-I). - Birds on the Move (2020-2023). Co-I Portuguese Science Foundation funded grant. PI. Dr. Ines Catry. InBio/CIBIO. University of Porto. - Understanding heatwave damage through reproduction in insect systems (2020-2023). Co-I NERC standard grant. PI: Prof. Matt Gage UEA. - SENSUM: Smart SENSing of landscapes Undergoing hazardous hydrogeological Movement (2020-2022). Co-I NERC Digital Environment. PI: Dr. Georgina Bennett, University of Exeter. - BOULDER: Accounting for BOUlders in Landslide-flood Disaster Evaluation and Resilience. co-I NERC SHEAR catalyst. PI: Dr. Georgie Bennett, University of Exeter. - Refugial Populations at Trailing-Edge Range Margins: Attributes, Survival and Conservation. Co-I NERC standard grant (2015-2018) PI: Prof. Chris Thomas, University of York - Migratory decisions in a changing world: mechanisms and drivers of changing migratory behaviour (2013-16). PI NERC standard grant. - Understanding the migratory behaviour of long-lived species and responses to global environmental change using state-of-the-art GPS/GSM loggers (2016). PI NERC, ELSA and NRP funded. Website: http://whitestork.org/ We have studied the movement of white storks and quantified how important landfill resources are for the resident birds. We have shown that resident birds use their nests all year round and that storks nesting near landfill have smaller home ranges than storks breeding further away: http://movementecologyjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40462-016-0070-0 - Understanding causes and consequences of the extreme thermal sensitivity of male fertility using a model insect (2013-16). Co-I NERC standard grant. PI: Prof. Matt Gage, UEA - The role of dispersal in species' ability to respond to climate change (2010-2013). PI NERC standard grant. Development of animal tracking devices I coordinate the Movetech Telemetry project at UEA, this is a collaboration with BTO and University of Porto, Portugal. We develop state-of-the-art tracking devices for wildlife that include multiple sensors (e.g. barometer, accelerometer). NERC Proof-of-Concept (2016-2017) Long range wireless devices for high-resolution monitoring of animal movement. Co-Is JP Silva (UL e UP), P Atkinson (BTO) Norwich Research Park Innovation Fund (2016) MoveTech – State-of-the art loggers for tracking animal movement. Co-Is JP Silva (UL e UP), P Atkinson (BTO) UEA Proof-of-Concept fund (2015) Development of light weight GPS/GSM loggers. Co-Is JP Silva, (UL e UP), P Atkinson (BTO) https://www.uea.ac.uk/movetech/devices PhD and postdoctoral positions Self-funded PhD projects: - Designing protected areas networks that incorporate animal movement and habitat connectivity Supervisors: Aldina Franco (UEA), Rachel Carmenta (DEV, UEA), Trevor Torhurst (ENV,UEA) and Carlos David Santos (Universidade Federal do Para', Brazil). contact me if you are interested. I am happy to accept PhD students and postdocs and to help develop funding applications (e.g Marie Curie, FCT studentships, SwB). My group has an international focus, I am fluent in Portuguese and Spanish. Click here for current PhD opportunities in the School of Environmental Sciences. However, feel free to email me to discuss projects outside these areas and alternative sources of funding. |
Key Research Interests
My research group works in four core research areas:
- Unravelling the mechanisms underlying changes in dispersal capacity and migratory behaviour and their links to global environmental change
- Development of niche theory and envelop models for native and non-native species
- Understand the impacts of extreme weather (e.g heat-waves and drought)
- Conservation of endangered species including selection of priority areas for conservation
My research group and collaborators have shown that the southern range margin of northern butterfly species is retracting and this has been associated with recent temperature increases. Dispersal abilities vary dramatically between species and we have demonstrated that small scale movement parameters of species can help us understand species capacity to adapt to fragmented and heterogeneous landscapes.
Native and non-native species distributions are changing presenting interesting challenges for the conservation of biodiversity and the establishment of effective protected areas. Some of the applications of my work include the identification of priority areas for conservation that account for species capacity to respond to environmental change. This is particularly interesting and challenging for migratory species that move across continents and have suffered sharp population declines in recent decades.
We interact with several Environmental NGOs (BTO, Birdlife International, Audubon Society, SEO, LPN, SPEA) based in the UK, Spain, Portugal and US, and aim to produce scientific evidence that can be used to design effective conservation measures aiming to protect endangered species and conserve biodiversity.
My group is dynamic and international. I will be happy to establish new collaborations and supervise PhD students in the areas mentioned above.
Publications: EPrints Digital Repository
Key Responsibilities
- Chair of the Post-graduate teaching SEP at the School of Environmental Sciences
- Director of the International Master in Applied Ecology at UEA http://www.imae.online/
Research Group or Lab Membership
Bibek Shrestha | |
Charlie Russell | |
Karolina Zalewska | |
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Past lab members |
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Rita Ramos |
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Bruno Herlander |
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Joao Gameiro |
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Jethro Gauld |
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Ines Catry |
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Marta Acacio |
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Claire Buchan |
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Kate Rogerson |
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Phil Saunders |
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Osgur McDermott Long |
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James Gilroy |
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Nathalie Gilbert |
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Ricardo Correia |
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Martin Sullivan |
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Audrey Zannese |
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Eveliina Kallioniemi |
Areas of Expertise
Climate change effects on biodiversity; agri-environmental policies and its effects on biodiversity; conservation of endangered species; selection of priority areas for conservation; habitat fragmentation, dispersal and movement of species.
Teaching Interests
My core teaching is research lead. I teach ecology to undergraduate and postgraduate students and my teaching includes several links to my research on ecological responses to environmental change.
- ENV-5014A Population Ecology and Management
- ENV-6006A Biodiversity Conservation and Human Society
- ENV-7034A GIS and its Applications for Modelling Ecological and Environmental Change
Administrative Posts
Chair of Postgraduate Taught Programmes SEP at the School of Environmental Sciences
Career
2009-present Academic (Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader/Associate Professor) at the school of Environmental Sciences, UEA
2007-2009 Postdoctoral Researcher in animal movement at Washington State University, Oregon, USA
2003-2007 Postdoctoral Resarcher examining species range contractions due to climate change, at the Universities of Leeds and York
2003 - PhD in Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, UEA
1997-1999 - Project Manager, Liga para a Proteccao da Natureza, Portugal
1997 - Environmental Consultant
1997- MSc in Maths Applied to Biological Sciences, University of Lisbon
1995- BSc in Biology with Ecology, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 18 Finished
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Native and invasive ladybirds in a changing U.K. climate
The Royal Horticultural Society
1/10/20 → 31/03/24
Project: Training
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SENSUM: Smart SENSing of landscapes Undergoing hazardous hydrogeological Movement
Franco, A., Flowerdew, G. & Griffin, N.
Natural Environment Research Council
1/10/20 → 31/12/23
Project: Research
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Understanding the breadth and depth of heatwave damage to reproduction across insect systems
Maklakov, A., Franco, A., Maklakov, A. & Spurgin, L.
Natural Environment Research Council
1/10/20 → 30/11/24
Project: Research
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BOULDER: Accounting for BOUlders in Landslide and flood Disaster Evaluation and Resilience
Franco, A. & Dini, B.
Natural Environment Research Council
1/11/19 → 31/03/22
Project: Research
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BOULDER: Accounting for BOUlders in Landslide and flood Disaster Evaluation and Resilience
Bennett, G., Franco, A. & Lee, G.
Natural Environment Research Council
1/10/18 → 31/10/19
Project: Research
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Cobble motion characterisation with smart sensors through laboratory experiments for ground-based landslide monitoring
Sgarabotto, A., Manzella, I., Roskilly, K., Clark, M. J., Bennett, G. L., Luo, C. & Franco, A. M. A., 13 Mar 2025, In: Geomorphica. 1, 1Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Downloads (Pure) -
European breeding bird declines associated with narrower climatic niches
Zalewska, K., Gilroy, J. J., Catry, I., Atkinson, P. W., Klvaňová, A. & Franco, A. M. A., 9 Apr 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Biogeography. e15127.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Mechanisms underlying the loss of migratory behaviour in a long-lived bird
Andrade, P., Franco, A. M. A., Acácio, M., Afonso, S., Marques, C. I., Moreira, F., Carneiro, M. & Catry, I., 2 Apr 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Animal Ecology.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
North American avian species that migrate in flocks show greater long-term non-breeding range shift rates
Vickers, S. H., Meehan, T. D., Michel, N. L., Franco, A. M. A. & Gilroy, J. J., 13 Jan 2025, In: Movement Ecology. 13, 3.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Opportunities and challenges for monitoring terrestrial biodiversity in the robotics age
Pringle, S., Dallimer, M., Goddard, M. A., Le Goff, L. K., Hart, E., Langdale, S. J., Fisher, J. C., Abad, S. A., Ancrenaz, M., Angeoletto, F., Auat Cheein, F., Austen, G. E., Bailey, J. J., Baldock, K. C. R., Banin, L. F., Banks-Leite, C., Barau, A. S., Bashyal, R., Bates, A. J., Bicknell, J. E., & 100 others , 22 May 2025, In: Nature Ecology & Evolution. 9, p. 1031-1042 eabc5986.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile
Datasets
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Data and R code from the paper "Characterisation of a new lightweight LoRaWAN GPS biologger and deployment on griffon vulture Gyps fulvus"
Gauld, J. (Creator), Franco, A. (Creator), Atkinson, P. W. (Creator), Silva, J. P. (Creator) & Senn, A. (Creator), Figshare, 20 Jan 2023
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.21932334.v1
Dataset
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Relative hunting risk for large- and small-bodied Afro-Palaearctic migratory birds
Buchan, C. (Creator), Franco, A. (Creator), Catry, I. (Creator), Gamero, A. (Creator), Klvaňová, A. (Creator) & Gilroy, J. (Creator), Figshare, 11 May 2022
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.19745830.v3
Dataset
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Anthropogenic change exposure scores for individual Common Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus
Buchan, C. (Creator), Gilroy, J. (Creator), Catry, I. (Creator), Hewson, C. M. (Creator), Atkinson, P. (Creator) & Franco, A. (Creator), Figshare, 29 Jun 2023
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.23576031.v1
Dataset
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Data from: Timing is critical: consequences of asynchronous migration for the performance and destination of a long-distance migrant
Serra Acacio, M. (Creator), Soriano-Redondo, A. (Creator), Silva, J. P. (Creator), Atkinson, P. W. (Creator) & Franco, A. (Creator), Movebank, 25 Jul 2023
Dataset
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Composite risk vulnerability scores for Afro-Palaearctic migratory birds
Buchan, C. (Creator), Franco, A. (Creator), Catry, I. (Creator), Gamero, A. (Creator), Klvaňová, A. (Creator) & Gilroy, J. (Creator), Figshare, 11 May 2022
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.19745983.v3
Dataset
Prizes
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Marsh Award for Ornithology
Franco, Aldina (Recipient), Sept 2023
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Activities
- 1 Examination
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External examiner of PGT programmes at University of Sheffield
Aldina Franco (Examiner)
2022 → 2026Activity: Examination