How quickly does biodiversity return to areas undergoing forest restoration, and what methods are most reliable for assessing this recovery?

Science / Life Sciences

Recently, there has been a surge of interest in innovative biodiversity monitoring approaches that do not require direct observation or physical capture of organisms. DNA metabarcoding is one such molecular technique that enables the identification of multiple species through the analysis of DNA fragments. This method utilizes environmental DNA (eDNA)—genetic material released by organisms into their surroundings through feces, secretions, and other sources — in water, soil, or air samples. This project investigates bird and butterfly diversity detected through eDNA sampling in the Atlantic Forest. The goal is to determine if restoration areas are reestablishing biodiversity similar to that of native forests. Additionally, by evaluating and applying DNA metabarcoding to measure and compare species communities on a large scale in real time, I intend to assess the reproducibility and utility of this technique for inclusion in environmental assessment and monitoring reports.

Amount invested

Grant 2025: R$525.000,00

Institutions

  • Universidade Federal da Bahia

Open Calls

Joint call 3 to support Black and Indigenous ecology postdocs
  • Topics
  • biodiversidade
  • DNA