XL CICLO | Mansi Chiara

As a graduate in Forest Sciences, I am interested in exploring the ecosystem processes of undisturbed forests (e.g., strict protection areas and old-growth forests) through functional, compositional, and structural indicators that highlight their naturalness. In the context of climate change, the role of resilient ecosystems is crucial as (micro)refuges for animal species, especially those unable to migrate. Research requires funding and benefits from international cooperation, making European project planning essential.

My thesis aims to extract and analyze compositional, structural, and functional indicators of forest ecosystems across varying levels of protection to assess their naturalness. By comparing Strict Reserves, National Parks, and managed landscapes utilizing traditional silviculture, the study will evaluate the effectiveness of different management strategies for nature conservation and climate mitigation. Furthermore, the research will investigate the impact of evolving governance policies on forest ecosystems over space and time. This will involve utilizing pre-processed layers or implementing custom layers through scripts, leveraging satellite data repositories.