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Federico Riva

Assistant Professor

https://www.rivaecologylab.com

Research
Research in the Riva Lab focuses on biodiversity conservation in human-dominated landscapes. We develop theory and methods to better understand biodiversity change across spatial scales, addressing challenges that range from local applications to global assessments. Key areas of work in the lab include the study of biodiversity in fragmented landscapes, the effects of climate change on the abundance and distribution of species, and how to optimize area-based conservation solutions to the biodiversity crisis. We combine biodiversity data — including field data collections and “big data” from participatory science initiatives — with remote sensing and statistical models to better understand how species and ecosystems respond to global change. We work across taxa, from plants and butterflies to large mammals, to inform biodiversity conservation following a holistic approach.
 
Selected Publications
Riva, F and L Fahrig (2023). Landscape-scale habitat fragmentation is positively related to biodiversity, despite patch-scale ecosystem decay. Ecology Letters. 26(2), 267-277.
Riva, F, C Galán-Acedo, AE Martin, L Fahrig (2025). Why we should not assume that habitat fragmentation is generally bad for restoration: a reply to Watts & Hughes 2024. Restoration Ecology. 33 (3), e14385.
Deane, D and F Riva (2025). Time and matrix quality increase the relative habitat value of smaller patches in fragmented landscapes. Journal of Applied Ecology. 62 (4), 958-969. 
Area-based conservation
Riva, F, N Haddad, L Fahrig, C Banks-Leite (2024). Principles for area-based biodiversity conservation. Ecology Letters. 27 (6), e14459.
Riva, F, CJ Martin, K Millard, L Fahrig (2022). Loss of the world’s smallest forests. Global Change Biology. 28 (24) 7164-7166.
Hernández-Agüero, JA, P Verburg, C Magneville, M Cartereau, E Silva, A Leriche, J-C Svenning, O Tzortzakaki, G Bacchetta, F Riva (2025). Stakeholder consensus on conservation priorities across scientific, NGO, and governmental sectors. Conservation Letters. 18 (4), e13109.
Global change biology
Riva, F, CJ Martin, C Galan-Acedo, E Bellon, P Keil, A Moran-Ordonez, L Fahrig, A Guisan (2024). Incorporating effects of habitat patches into species distribution models. Journal of Ecology. 112 (10), 2162-2182.
Riva, F, F Barbero, E Balletto, S Bonelli (2023). Combining environmental niche models, multi-grain analyses, and species traits identifies pervasive effects of land use on butterfly biodiversity across Italy. Global Change Biology. 29 (7), 1715-1728.
Riva, F, R Schmucki, R Cooke, … D Roy (2026). Addressing gaps in butterfly population monitoring to catalyze global insect conservation. Conservation Letters. 19 (2), e70037.
Meta-science
Riva, F, C Graco-Roza, GN Daskalova, EJ Hudgins, JMM Lewthwaite, E Newman, M Ryo, S Mammola (2023). Towards a cohesive understanding of ecological complexity. Science Advances. 9 (25), eabq4207.
Riva, F, N Koper, L Fahrig (2024). Overcoming confusion and stigma around habitat fragmentation. Biological Reviews. 99 (4), 1411-1424.
Martin, CJ, JM Twambaze, F Riva (2025). The citizen science – nature tourism alliance. BioScience. 75 (5), 358-361.
 

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