Milene Matos

Biologist, Conservationist, Communicator

Born in Luxembourg, raised in the midst of cows and Schneeglöckchen, moved to rural Portugal in her early adolescence. Always driven by a passion for nature, Milene graduated in Biology and did a PhD in Conservation Biology at the University of Aveiro, complemented with specialized training in forest management and wildlife monitoring at several European universities. Realizing the mission of protecting biodiversity is plural, she engaged in Science Communication during her postdoctoral research, complemented by a Master in Marketing and Digital Communication at the IMF Business School of Madrid.

Milene has 20 years’ experience in field work and research on terrestrial vertebrate ecology. As a communicator and conservationist, she has a soft spot for the typically reviled groups, and has led many Portuguese and European projects liaising science with practitioners, to bring biodiversity to people’s hearts and territories. She has also participated in reference projects and publications for biodiversity conservation in Portugal, and founded the environmental NGO BioLiving as a way to provide “nature and education to all”.

She lectures at the University of Aveiro and is a consultant for biodiversity conservation projects, currently including the LIFE Aegypius return project, which aims at consolidating the return of the Cinereous Vulture to Portugal, five decades after its extinction in that country.

Meanwhile, Milene likes speeding on two wheels and discharging energies in DIY and house reconstruction projects.

You can see the full talk below