Neiva Guedes

Neiva Maria Robaldo Guedes, or Neiva Guedes (born 10 December 1962 in Ponta Porã) is a Brazilian biologist and a specialist on environment and species conservation.

In November 1989, Neiva came across a flock of hyacinth macaws in the Pantanal and, knowing that they were in danger of extinction, she began to work on cataloguing and conserving the species with her own means. Illegal capture for the pet bird trade, habitat destruction and feather collection for handicrafts were the main reasons for the drastic reduction in hyacinth macaw numbers.

Biography Neiva was born in 1962, in Ponta Porã, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Initially, Neiva wanted to study medicine and become a pediatrician, but she did not pass the entrance examination. Then she began taking part in the biology course which took place at night, allowing her to work during the day to help her family.

She graduated in biology from the Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul in 1987. In 1990, she entered the master's degree program at Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, studying the reproductive biology of the hyacinth macaw of the Pantanal.

Still a recent graduate, in 1989 Neiva first saw the hyacinth macaw in the Pantanal. Upon discovering that they were in danger of extinction she reasoned that the best way to preserve the species would be to study the causes of their disappearance, monitoring the remaining individuals, mapping nests, counting eggs and chicks. At the time, there was little research on hyacinth macaws, and Neiva's research work was the main generator of information on hyacinth macaw populations, their ways of life and reproduction.

In 2005, Neiva began her doctorate at the Universidade Estadual Paulista, where she successfully defended her thesis in 2009 on continuation of her work with the hyacinth macaws. Today, Neiva is one of the most eminent specialists on hyacinth macaws in Latin America. She is a professor at the Universidade para o Desenvolvimento do Estado e da Região do Pantanal and has been president of the Instituto Arara Azul for 30 years. The institute is globally recognized as a top authority on parrot research, and has educated professionals in Brazil and beyond.