Manuela Morais is Associate Professor with Aggregation at the Biology Department in the University of Évora, integrated member at the Research Unit Institute of Earth Sciences (ICT: https://www.icterra.pt/), and head of the Water Laboratory at the same University. Her research interest focuses on aquatic ecology, management, and conservation of freshwater ecosystems. She has been working on ecology of benthic invertebrates, periphyton and phytoplankton, aquatic systems conservation and rehabilitation. She has conducted her research mainly in south of Portugal, under Mediterranean climate conditions, where intermittent rivers are part of the rivers network and species have developed many evolutionary adaptations. She has participated in several national and international scientific projects, such as the COST project (CA 15113: 2016-2020) on science and management of Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams Streams”, and by invitation, has given scientific communications in Portugal, Europe and Brazil. In a more applied context, she is strongly experienced in project management of freshwater ecosystems in southern Portugal. Since 2007 participates as a specialist in the Advisory Board of the “Hydrographic Region Council of Guadiana, Sado and Mira” (in the framework of Water Framework Directive), where was invited by “Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente” (APA) to preside these regional councils’ meetings by “merit, academic or professional prestige and outstanding work carried out in water resources”She is the national coordinator of the “Network of Environmental Studies in Portuguese-Speaking Countries (REALP)” and, within the scope of this network, she integrated the scientific Committee of the PhD in Environmental Management and Policies, at the University of Cape Verde. She is also the leader of the ERASMUS consortium AMIGO (https://www.erasmusamigo.uevora.pt/) created to encourage the sharing of knowledge and the consolidation of effective pedagogy strategies, directed to the area of the environment in its interdisciplinary scope. AMIGO has cooperated with: Southern Mediterranean (ENI) Algeria, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia; Western Balkans (IPA) – Albania and Montenegro; Latin America (DCI) – Argentina, Brazil; Industrialized countries America – Chile, United States of America; Africa – Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe.