Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation (LAEC)

Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation (LAEC)

The Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation (LAEC) is located on the University of São Paulo campus in Ribeirão Preto. This region was an important coffee-producing center in the past and is now considered the national capital of agribusiness. One-third of Brazil's ethanol (biofuel) production is produced here. This means we are surrounded by a sea of sugarcane! One of the central research themes at LAEC could not, therefore, ignore the environmental impacts associated with the enormous transformation of the landscape resulting from this rural economy. A local example of a global problem: the expansion and intensification of agriculture and its effects on biodiversity. Thus, some of the research topics in our laboratory include the role of Conservation Units and areas specially protected by the Forest Code (Permanent Preservation Areas and Legal Reserves) in safeguarding biodiversity; habitat use, behavioral changes and risk of exposure to pesticides of fauna species in agricultural landscapes; biological invasion and invasive species; the impact and sustainability of hunting, among other contemporary issues in applied ecology, ecological modeling, and conservation.