Thiago B. A. Couto is a conservation ecologist whose research focuses on aquatic biodiversity, and the interface between science and environmental policy. His work integrates field-based research, advanced quantitative analysis, and collaborative leadership to generate evidence that informs conservation action and environmental decision-making. He received his PhD in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences from the University of Washington (USA) and an MSc in Ecology from the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA, Brazil).

My research is motivated by experience working at the science–policy interface and is oriented toward projects with direct, on-the-ground implications for conservation and management. I am particularly interested in topics related to aquatic ecology, biodiversity conservation, ecohydrology, conservation planning, hydropower, and fish and fisheries ecology. Much of my work focuses on the Amazon Basin.

Selected publications:

• Hammerschlag, N.; Herskowitz, Y.; Fallows, C. & Couto, T.B.A. (2025). Evidence of cascading ecosystem effects following the loss of white sharks from False Bay, South Africa. Frontiers in Marine Science, 12: 1530362. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2025.1530362
• Couto, T.B.A.; Jenkins, C.N.; Beveridge, C.F.; Heilpern, S.A..; Herrera-R, G.A.; Piland, N.C.; Leal, C.G.; Zuanon, J.; Doria, C.R.C.; Montoya, M.; Varese, M.; Correa, S.B.; Goulding, M. & Anderson, E.P. (2024). Translating science into actions to conserve Amazonian freshwaters. Conservation Science and Practice, 6 (11): e13241. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13241
• Couto, T.B.A. & Sethi, S.A. (2024). River-to-sea ecosystem management. Nature Sustainability, 7: 4-6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-023-01239-w
• Couto, T.B.A.; Rezende R.S.; Aquino, P.P.U.; Costa-Pereira, R.; Campos, G.L.; Occhi, T.V.T.; Vitule, J.R.S.; Espírito-Santo, H.M.V.; Soares, Y.F.F. & Olden J.D. (2023). Effects of small hydropower dams on macroinvertebrate and fish assemblages in southern Brazil. Freshwater Biology, 68 (6): 956-971. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.14078
• Herrera-R, G.A.; Heilpern, S.A.; Couto, T.B.A.; Victoria-Lacy, L.; Duponchelle, F.; Correa, S.B.; Farah-Pérez, A.; López-Casas, S.; Cañas-Alva, C.M.; Doria, C.R.C. & Anderson, E.P. (2023). A synthesis of the diversity of freshwater fish migrations in the Amazon basin. Fish and Fisheries, 25: 114-133. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12795
• Couto, T.B.A.; Messager M.L. & Olden J.D. (2021). Safeguarding migratory fish via strategic planning of future small hydropower in Brazil. Nature Sustainability, 4: 409-416. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-00665-4
• Couto, T.B.A. & Olden, J.D. (2018). Global proliferation of small hydropower plants – science and policy. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 16: 91-100. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1746

• ENV6006A - Biodiversity Conservation and Human Society
• ENV4009B - Living Planet