Dr. Monalisa Silva

POSTDOCTORAL NETWORK  |   Global Change Center

Postdoctoral Researcher

Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Leandro Castello

Department of Fish & Wildlife Conservation

monalisard@vt.edu

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Dr. Monalisa Silva studies fisheries’ social-ecological systems, including ecology and conservation of fisheries, fisheries management, and fishers’ perceptions of environmental global changes. Her projects seek to understand the relationships between social and ecological systems, and the factors that shape fisheries management and fishers’ adaptations. For this, she uses participatory methods (e.g., questionnaires, meetings, and focus groups), databases (ecological, social, and economic), and multivariate analyses. In general, her research has four focuses: 1) the relationships between human groups and the environment, 2) exploitation and conservation of biodiversity, 3) management/co-management of fisheries resources, and 4) resilience and adaptation in socio-ecological systems.

Dr. Silva’s current research focuses on how the co-management led by small-scale fishers and the hydrological connectivity influence fishing productivity in freshwater ecosystems in the Amazon Basin. Considering the importance of Amazonian fisheries to riverine communities and the lack of studies on freshwater ecosystems, her research is of broad interest to fishers, managers, scientists, and society. 

DR. SILVA IN THE NEWS:  How Female Fishers Are Leading Their Communities through the Pandemic