Introduction

The Portuguese assessment is coordinated by the Centro de Biologia Ambiental (CBA) of the Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa. The CBA is a research center that integrates over 30 scientists working in environmental and conservation issues. The CBA manages dozens of scientific projects and has an annual budget for research of approximately one million dollars. The Portuguese assessment is organized in four groups: the steering committee, the advisory board, the research team and the group of users.