Program Overview

Mestrado em Restauro Ecológico

Description

The Master's in Ecological Restoration has a structure based on two fundamental axes. The curricular part, which has a reduced number of mandatory UC, provides a robust basis on the principles of ecological restoration and the choice of 4 optional courses out of 20 possible UC for an adaptable path to different profiles. The list of optional courses was selected among the most interesting ones from the two institutions. The training in advanced methods and technologies will be complemented by transversal skills, given the relevance of the social dimension in the restoration process.

Brief Introduction

Ecological restoration has both a scientific and a mission-oriented aspect, given the enormous role it plays in combating environmental crises on a global scale. Climate change and biodiversity loss are the true challenges of the century, with impacts that go beyond the imbalance of the natural world and affect social and economic domains.

History

The pioneering character of the Master's in Ecological Restoration is reflected in the approach to training implemented throughout the curriculum. It is not a Master's in conservation biology, environmental management, environmental engineering, or territorial planning, but a course that combines the transversal skills of all these areas and embraces the recognized motto "the whole is more than the sum of its parts." A crossroads of knowledge that guarantees critical thinking in the face of complex problems, ensuring a differentiated positioning in professional qualification.

Objectives

The objective is for students to be able to identify and characterize the type of environmental degradation, plan a restoration project, monitor its effects, and evaluate its success, integrating adaptive management. More specifically, RESTORE students will acquire knowledge about:

• Current environmental challenges that lead to ecosystem degradation
• The most recent methods and approaches for mitigation and recovery, incorporating necessary knowledge from biotic and abiotic compartments, as well as key concepts for adaptive management (e.g., uncertainty, resilience) They should also acquire the ability to identify the causes of environmental degradation and evaluate its consequences in socio-ecological systems. Develop skills for outlining and elaborating innovative restoration proposals, using nature-based solutions in different contexts. Finally, they will develop critical thinking, synthesis capacity, and skills for working in multidisciplinary teams, as well as communication skills to different agents in society.

Professional Outcomes

The RESTORE guarantees high-quality training that must be necessarily matched by the interest, motivation, and professionalism of the students. With all these conditions met, after the Master's, recent graduates will find a vast set of entities and projects in which they can invest, such as:

• Environmental consulting Elaboration of restoration projects for companies and organizations
• Agriculture and silviculture Implementation of sustainable practices and recovery of degraded ecosystems
• Public bodies and municipalities Planning and execution of ecological restoration projects in any point of the urban-rural axis
• NGOs Contributing to nature conservation and ecosystem recovery
• Research institutions Advancing knowledge in ecological restoration
• Entrepreneurship Creating new businesses in the environmental sector

Operational Regime

The program operates on a daytime schedule, located at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia Tapada da Ajuda and the Campus of Sciences ULisboa, Campo Grande, Cidade Universitária.

Tuition Fees

Annual fees for 2025/2026 are as follows:

• National students: 1,063.47
• International students: 3,000

Coordinators

• David Paulo Fangueiro
• Maria Teresa Marques Ferreira