João Paulino

Joãos' Ph.D. project aims are: (1) Compare the composition and abundance of waterbird species in rice fields with those inhabiting other artificial and natural wetlands year-round to determine the ability of rice fields to serve as alternative habitats for waterbirds amidst the global wetland loss; (2) Describe the diet of the most abuntant waterbirds inhabiting rice fields over the year and relate it to the cycle of rice production; (3) Understand the effect of rice field management actions, namely harvesting and plowghing, on the composition and abundance of rice field waterbird species and their food sources, (4) Determine the effectiveness of the scaring strategies employed in the rice fields to control bird numbers and (5) Understand how rice growers perceive waterbird damage in the rice fields and the effectiveness of scaring techniques through questionnaires.