Filipe Banha in 90 seconds of Science

Filipe Banha, a MARE researcher, took part in the radio program “90 seconds of science” on Antena 1.  90 Seconds of Science is a project of the António Xavier Institute of Chemical and Biological Technology (ITQB NOVA), the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FCSH NOVA), both of Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and Antena 1, with the support of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).  

In episode #2004, broadcast on May 1st, Filipe Banha spoke about the Turtles project, which he is developing with the aim of promoting actions to remove the Florida Turtle in southern Portugal. In 90 seconds, the researcher spoke about how actions to remove and control this invasive species are being promoted in four parks south of the River Tagus, in the Serra de São Mamede, on the Costa Vicentina, in the Southwest Alentejo, in the Guadiana Valley, and in the Ria Formosa.

The project is working in these four parks because they are the locations of the main populations of the Striated Carapace Turtle, which is highly threatened by the Florida Turtle due to competition for food and territory. As well as studying how competition for nesting sites is increasing the mortality of the Striated Turtle, the researcher is also assessing how diseases transmitted by the Florida Turtle may be contributing to this increase.

Find out all about it in the episode HERE