Catarina Meireles (Woman),  MED Researcher at the Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development (MED) and an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biology, University of Évora (Portugal). She holds a degree in Biology (1999, University of Évora) and a PhD in Chemistry and Environmental Biology (Geobotany) (2010, University of Jaén, Spain). She is a specialist in flora, vegetation and habitats, with her research focused mainly on the management and conservation of rare, endemic and protected species and habitats, particularly within the framework of the Natura 2000 Network. Her work includes the assessment of the conservation status of habitats of Community interest in Portugal under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive. She led the first, third and fourth national assessments of these habitats in 2007, 2019 and 2024, respectively. From 2016 to 2020, she was a member of the project Red List of Vascular Plants of Mainland Portugal. She has participated in several management and restoration projects, including Protected Area Planning Plans and Natura 2000 Network Management Plans, as well as in three LIFE Nature and Biodiversity projects. She currently coordinates the LIFE RELICT, CARDIMED and Zimbral for LIFE projects. She is also a representative of the Portuguese academic community in the Workshops for the Harmonization of Procedures for Monitoring, Evaluation and Conservation of Habitat Types of Community Interest – Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process for the Mediterranean Region, funded by the European Commission. She is Vice-President of the Portuguese Association of Vegetation Science (PHYTOS).