Fernanda Melo Gomes
About me
Fernanda Melo Gomes is a Brazilian biologist and researcher with a PhD in Ecology and current postdoctoral work at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Brazil. Her research focuses on ethnobotany, traditional ecological knowledge, biocultural diversity, climate change, and science education. She investigates how traditional communities understand and respond to socio-environmental changes, with particular attention to the role of schools and teachers in connecting local knowledge, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience. Fernanda is committed to strengthening inclusive, interdisciplinary, and socially engaged science in the Global South.
Fernanda Melo Gomes is a Brazilian biologist, researcher, and postdoctoral fellow at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Brazil. She holds a PhD in Ecology and has developed an interdisciplinary academic trajectory at the intersection of ethnobotany, traditional ecological knowledge, biodiversity conservation, climate change, and science education.
Her current postdoctoral project, entitled Ethnobotany of Traditional Communities in Brazil: Strategies in Response to Climate Change from the Perspective of Basic Education, investigates how traditional communities recognize, use, and transmit knowledge about plant biodiversity, and how this knowledge can contribute to climate resilience and environmental education. Through fieldwork with schools and communities in different Brazilian regions, her work seeks to understand the relationships between local knowledge, territory, biocultural diversity, and educational practices.
Fernanda’s research is strongly committed to valuing the knowledge of Indigenous peoples, traditional communities, teachers, and local actors who play a central role in biodiversity conservation and socio-environmental resilience. Her academic interests include ethnobiology, ethnobotany, plant ecology, conservation biology, environmental education, climate justice, and the role of education in promoting more sustainable futures.
In addition to her research activities, Fernanda has experience in teacher education, scientific writing, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the development of educational materials focused on biodiversity, climate change, and traditional knowledge. She is particularly interested in strengthening science produced in and for the Global South, promoting dialogue between academic knowledge and community-based knowledge, and contributing to more inclusive, diverse, and socially engaged scientific practices.
As a woman scientist from Brazil, Fernanda seeks to contribute to international networks that support women in science, especially those working on environmental challenges, education, biodiversity, and climate change in developing countries. Her work reflects a commitment to equity, collaboration, and the recognition of biocultural diversity as a key element for building resilient and just futures.