Conservation researcher
Ana Rita Patrício

Fernando Madeira

In my Ph.D. project, I am working with two of the marine turtle species that nest in the Bijagós archipelago: the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).

My research is mostly about green turtles, being some of my objectives to describe juvenile diet and recruitment areas, status of breeding population and turtle nesting behavior and beach attendance patterns. Regarding the critically endangered Hawksbill turtles, I am trying to characterize Poilão’s breeding population status, genetics, and ecology.

So far, I have finished all my sampling and I am finishing the chapter about juvenile green turtle diet and recruitment, specifically in the area around the islands of Unhocomo and Unhocomozinho.