Stephannie Fernandes
As a former lawyer in Brazil, Stephannie is excited to share her passion for protecting rivers by joining the Tropical Rivers Lab at FIU. Her research employs a mixed-methods approach to assess the political ecology of freshwater resources. She is particularly interested in examining the social-ecological dynamics of the Amazon Basin and analyzing different strategies for implementing and improving public policies aimed at safeguarding freshwater ecosystems and associated biodiversity. Before coming to FIU, Stephannie did her MSc in Environmental Science and Policy at Northern Arizona University. Her background has enabled her to collaborate on projects focused on protecting the Xingu Indigenous Territories and to publish scientific papers addressing different aspects of river conservation. Currently, her PhD research centers on two areas: evaluating policies and opportunities for the protection of migratory fish in the Amazon Basin and assessing the policy mismatch in environmental flows framework and its applications. This approach aims to bridge the gap between theoretical frameworks and practical implementation, potentially leading to more effective conservation strategies for the Amazon and other river basins around the world.