NOVA IMS researcher Bruna Almeida was distinguished with the 2025 Scientific Merit Award of the University of the Azores, promoted by the Gaspar Frutuoso Foundation and sponsored by Caixa de Crédito Agrícola Mútuo dos Açores.

The €5,000 award recognises the article “Top 10+1 indicators for assessing forest ecosystem conditions: A five-decade fragmentation analysis”, developed as part of her doctoral research and co-authored by Pedro Cabral, also a NOVA IMS researcher. The work results from a collaboration with national and international institutions.

The study presents a geospatial methodology to assess forest ecosystem conditions by integrating remote sensing data, land-use maps, and landscape metrics collected over a 50-year period. The article identifies 11 key indicators, such as habitat connectivity, edge density, and fragmentation indices, which support the monitoring of long-term structural changes and inform sustainable land management.

– Bruna Almeida

The award ceremony took place at the Ponta Delgada campus of the University of the Azores, with representatives from the university, the Gaspar Frutuoso Foundation, and Caixa de Crédito Agrícola Mútuo dos Açores.

This distinction reflects NOVA IMS’s contribution to scientific research in sustainability, environmental management, and data-driven ecosystem monitoring.

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