Dr. Abra is one of only a handful of road ecologists working in Brazil—a place where the ecological threat of roads is deeper than almost anywhere on the planet.

As a biologist, researcher, and entrepreneur, she uses her skills to develop alternative mitigation measures for Brazilian wildlife on highways and railways, aiming to promote biodiversity conservation, increase human safety, and generate technological innovations in Brazil and other tropical countries.

Seeking to address threats to wildlife at an early age, she founded ViaFAUNA. This consulting organization has worked to mitigate the impacts on wildlife of over 50 road and railway projects in Brazil. 

Dr. Abra has also published over 30 technical and scientific papers on roads and the threats they present.

Currently, she leads Reconecta, an applied conservation project that aims to test artificial canopy bridge designs for mitigating the fragmentation impacts of roads in the Amazon basin. The project aims to determine which design is preferred by primates and other arboreal mammals. 

Dr. Fernanda Abra completed her Ph.D. in road ecology in 2019 and earned her master’s degree in 2012 from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. She has a post-doctoral fellowship with the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP). She has also been recognized internationally for her work, earning the Future for Nature Award 2019 and the Whitley Award 2024.