Fernanda Coelho de Souza headshot

Dr Fernanda Coelho de Souza

Senior Carbon Ratings Scientist

Dr Fernanda Coelho de Souza's interests

  • Nature-Based Solutions

  • Forestry

  • Biodiversity

  • Biomass sampling

  • Carbon mapping

  • Conservation science

  • Field scientist

  • Forest carbon

  • Plant sciences

Dr Fernanda Coelho de Souza is a tropical ecologist whose work looks at Nature-based solutions, aiming to reconcile forest conservation with sustainable development. Her PhD research delved into understanding the legacy of evolution on present-day ecosystem function, particularly focussing on carbon storage and removals.

Before joining BeZero, she was a technical advisor at the United Nations Development Programme where she provided support for the implementation of Brazil's REDD+ results-based payments within a Payment for Environmental Services pilot project. This project aimed to support the implementation of the Native Vegetation Protection Law whilst promoting forest conservation and restoration in the Brazilian Amazon.

Selected publications

Souza.C.R..; Coelho de Souza et al., 2024. Functional and structural attributes of Brazilian tropical and subtropical forests and savannas. Forest Ecology and Management.

Aguiar Campos, N; Coelho de Souza et al., 2021. Evolutionary constraints on tree size and above‐ground biomass in tropical dry forests. Journal of Ecology.

Coelho de Souza et al., 2019. Evolutionary diversity is associated with wood productivity in Amazonian forests. Nature Ecology and Evolution.

Education

  • Leeds University - UK, Doctoral reseacher in Tropical Ecology and Climate Change looking at the legacy of evolution on present-day patterns of ecosystem function

  • The Amazon Biodiversity Integrated Studies Center, collaborating researcher - National Institute of Amazonian Research - Brazil, MSc in Science of Tropical Forest - Brasilia University, Undergrad in Forestry

  • National Institute of Amazonian Research - Brazil, MSc in Science of Tropical Forest

  • Brasilia University, Undergraduate in Forestry

Research associations

  • Lecturer at the Brasilia University, Forestry Department, teaching the courses: Ecology, Methods in Forestry Research and Topics in Biodiversity

  • Collaborating member at the Biodiversity Research Prgram - PPBio, to better understand tropical tree diversity

  • Collaborating researcher at the Amazon Biodiversity Integrated Studies Center, to better understand current patterns of aboveground biomass and carbon estimates in the Brazilian Amazon

Learn more about Fernanda's academic history and publications

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