CREAF Talk with Ricardo Lourenço-de-Moraes: Ecological and Evolutionary Values as a Tool for Biodiversity Conservation

In this talk, Ricardo Lourenço-de-Moraes will discuss how integrating ecological and evolutionary perspectives enhances our ability to design effective strategies for biodiversity conservation. By examining patterns of ecological specialization, evolutionary distinctiveness, and habitat quality—especially in Neotropical amphibians and reptiles—he will show how combining these dimensions provides a more accurate framework for assessing species vulnerability.

Drawing on integrative research approaches that include molecular systematics, morphology, and biogeography, the lecture will explore how traits such as body size, habitat dependence, and evolutionary history inform conservation priorities. Particular emphasis will be placed on how habitat degradation, fragmentation, and climate sensitivity intersect with lineage-specific traits, reinforcing the need to consider both ecological function and evolutionary value in conservation planning.

Short biography: Ricardo Lourenço-de-Moraes is a biologist with a Master’s degree in Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation and a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences (Ecology). His primary research focus is in Herpetology, with an emphasis on conservation, ecology, systematics, evolution, and biogeography of reptiles and amphibians.

He completed postdoctoral research in anuran systematics at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG), in turtle macroecology at the State University of Maringá (UEM), and in the macroecology of reptiles and amphibians at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB). He also served as a Regional Scientific Development Researcher (CNPq – PDCTR/FAPESQ, Level B), conducting studies on the conservation and biogeography of herpetofauna in the state of Paraíba, affiliated with the Department of Environmental Engineering at UFPB.

Currently, Ricardo is a Visiting Professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), working with the Graduate Program in Systematics and Evolution. His research integrates molecular, morphological, and ecological data to advance biodiversity conservation, with a special focus on Neotropical amphibians and reptiles.