“With this project, man is almost the centre of nature conservation, because until now nature has been focused on animals, plants and ecosystems, but the human element is everywhere,” said João Neves, biologist and coordinator of the centre.

The centre aims to be a link between conservation professionals, researchers and policy makers “in addressing human behaviour change and developing policies for biodiversity conservation worldwide,” he said.

“Human behaviour, which is always neglected, is at the root of the decline of species,” highlighted the person in charge.

The director of Science and Conservation at Zoomarine said that the project “focuses on the ecosystem and animals and focuses on people, as the central axis for the conservation of nature and the future of the planet”.

The initiative was the result of a partnership between the Algarve Aquatic and Marine Animal Recovery Park and the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

“Ultimately, we are trying to find ways to reach a consensus in which human activities can be combined with the presence of biodiversity in the world,” he noted.

João Neves said that human activity “becomes more relevant”, particularly with what he says are “the new political guidelines coming from the other side of the Atlantic”.

It is, he adds, that “without the balance we have been talking about for so many years, it is not possible for us to survive, to continue exploiting nature without much control”,

According to the person in charge, the Species Survival Center, which also intends to collaborate with fishing communities, governmental and non-governmental entities, “in identifying practical behavioural intervention solutions for marine conservation”.

“By understanding and influencing human behaviour, we aim to find solutions that can be adapted worldwide,” he concluded.