MEDiverSEAty

In quest of the human dimensions of MEDiterranean Marine Biodiversity

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Our team: advisory board

Advisory Board

MEDiverSEAty Advisory Board is composed by four External Experts shortlisted and voted by all Consortium members for their expertise in the fields of biodiversity, marine conservation, education and environmental law.

The Advisory Board provides a valuable referral point for the partners of the project and advises the Project Coordinator and all involved project’s Boards on the strategic scientific and training direction of the MEDiverSEAty project, providing critical feedback on all aspects of the network activities.

Harokopio University of Athens (Greece)

Evangelia Drakou
University of Palermo (Italy)

Gianluca Sarà
University of Strathclyde (UK)

Francesco Sindico
Independent Researcher (UK)

Deborah Rowan Wright

Harokopio University of Athens (Greece)

Evangelia Drakou

Evangelia Drakou is Assistant Professor at the Geography Department of Harokopio University of Athens in Greece. Her expertise lies in mapping and assessment of Ecosystem Services within coastal and marine ecosystems, landscape and seascape ecology, with a special interest on transitional ecosystems such as the coastal zone, and small and medium islands. She previously worked for University of Twente (NL), University of Brest (FR), the Joint Research Center of the European Commission and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

University of Palermo (Italy)

Gianluca Sarà

Gianluca Sarà (PhD 1994) is a Full Professor of Ecology and coordinates the Ecology Laboratory at the University of Palermo, Italy. Together with his team, he explores the effects of variability induced by human-caused environmental change on the ecological responses of organisms in marine habitats and its influences on community dynamics, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. He is the co-PI of SPOKE 1 – SEA (NBFC, PNRR Next Generation-EU), member of the Italian Ministry of Research (MUR), of the EU-Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030” and CLUSTER 6 Italy for Horizon Europe (MUR) Expert Panels. He has been PI or co-PI of more than 15 international competitive projects (Interreg, Horizon EU, Australian Research Council, Hong Kong Research Grants Council, PRIN, PNRA). He spent more three years as a visiting fellow at Universities of Hong Kong (CN), Adelaide (AUS), Columbia (SC, USA), Kuala Terrenganu (MY) and Boston (MS, USA); is an Adjunct Full Professor (2024-2026) at the Ocean University (CN). He is the author of more than 220 in peer-reviewed scientific journals and of an Ecology textbook (Pusceddu, Sarà, Viaroli 2020 – Ecology. UTET).

University of Strathclyde (UK)

Francesco Sindico

Francesco Sindico is a Professor of International Environmental Law at the University of Strathclyde Law School. He is the Director of the Climate Change Legal Initiative (C2LI), the Co-Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law Climate Change Specialist Group (where he leads the Islands, Nature and Renewable Energy Project (INREP) and the Co-Chair of the I International Water Resources Association (IWRA) Islands Water Congress. From September 2021 to April 2024 he was seconded to the Scottish Government where he led the Carbon Neutral Islands project.

Francesco thrives in multidisciplinary and multipartner projects and environments. He brings passion and competence to his work on International Environmental Law and is always keen to learn more and develop new partnerships. Francesco is an academic who believes universities need to work with non-academic partners and share results from their research also in ways that will deliver real impact on the ground. 

Independent Researcher (UK)

Deborah Rowan Wright

Deborah Rowan Wright has worked in marine conservation for 20 years, specialising in ocean conservation policy. Her work on marine renewable energy, ocean governance reform, and conservation law has been published by among others, the International Whaling Commission, the Marine Biological Association, the Ecologist, and the University of Chicago Press.  

Since 2012, Deborah has been calling for neglected international law to be enforced in order to protect the whole global ocean from human harm (and not only 30 percent of it). In her book ‘de’ she presents the case for 100 percent ocean protection and describes how to achieve it.

Based in Bristol in the UK, Deborah is currently working on the twin campaigns to pass a UN Declaration of Ocean Rights and for Ecocide to be recognized as the 5th International Crime.

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  • CONTACT AND INFORMATION

    • OBJECTIVES

      MEDiverSEAty is the legacy of a long-term collaboration among the partners tackling a fundamental node for marine sciences: the reconceptualization of the Ocean as a driver to foster sustainable behaviours and policies.
      The scientific research objectives of MEDiverSEAty are to develop a common theoretical framework of Mediterranean Marine Biodiversity Conservation which integrates human and biological dimensions and implications, to foster the crucial role of human dimensions in the protection and conservation of Marine Biodiversity and to make Biodiversity the focus of Mediterranean Ocean Literacy. MEDiverSEAty seeks to advance the international discourse by translating this multifaceted perspective into concrete actions, policies and strategies. MEDiverSEAty brings the cultural, social and political dimensions of marine biodiversity to the centre of two key objects of local, national and regional policies across the Mediterranean Basin as of the UNESCO Decade, namely:

      1. Ocean Literacy
      2. Biodiversity Conservation

      Ocean Literacy is about a deepened understanding of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on the ocean. It gathers education, communication and civic engagement strategies. In order to be transferred into factual and transformative actions on the territories, it must focus on precise objects.
      Too often Biodiversity Conservation does not directly involve citizens (and consequently social, cultural, and attitudinal differences), risking being ineffective (“on paper” only), misleading, short-lived, and generating conflicts with marine users and stakeholders (tourists, fishers, developers).

      Due to this background, the scientific research objectives (RO) of MEDiverSEAty are:

      • RO1: To develop a common theoretical framework (lexicon, concepts and interoperable notions) of Mediterranean Marine Biodiversity Conservation which integrate human and biological dimensions and implications (WP1).
      • RO2: To foster the crucial role of human dimensions in the protection and conservation of Marine Biodiversity (WP2.
      • RO3: To make Biodiversity the focus of Mediterranean Ocean Literacy (WP3).
      • RO4: The MEDiverSEAty community is expected to have a long-term positive impact on national and EU planning and implementation of governance strategies for the sustainable management of marine resources. (WP2) and the engagement of relevant stakeholders (WP4 and WP5).

    • ABOUT US

      MEDiverSEAty is a European Doctoral Network investigating the human dimensions of Mediterranean Marine Biodiversity. Despite ongoing efforts to conserve Mediterranean biodiversity, there remains a pressing need for more effective implementation of existing conservation measures. MEDiverSEAty proposes integrating the human dimension into biodiversity studies and conservation strategies to address this challenge. Recognizing the significant scientific and social relevance of these dimensions, the project emphasizes areas such as marine citizen science, maritime spatial planning, marine heritage, and the economic values of marine biodiversity.

      MEDiverSEAty seeks to advance the international discourse by translating this multifaceted perspective into concrete actions, policies and strategies. A critical observation is the absence or oversimplification of ‘diversity’ (in terms of cultures, roles, societies, attitudes, identities) as a crucial factor influencing Europeans’ relationship with marine biodiversity in current political and scientific discussions.

      To bridge these gaps, MEDiverSEAty is launching a Doctoral Network Training and Research Program. This program, involving partners from six European countries (Italy, Malta, France, Spain, Montenegro and Greece), focuses on two pillars essential to contemporary marine sciences, policies, and education: Ocean Literacy and Marine Biodiversity Conservation.