The Centre for Functional Ecology - Science for People & the Planet (CFE) is a R&D unit hosted by the Department of Life Sciences of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra that brings together researchers from all fields of ecology, integrating knowledge from genes to the biome level to disentangle the mechanisms responsible for biodiversity maintenance, and for the composition, structure and functioning of biological communities and ecosystems. CFE holds a strong commitment to knowledge transfer to the general public and to the productive sector, with emphasis on the sustainability of territories and local communities.