Maria Mercedes Lopez
PhD Student
About me
My research interests range from fish ecology and biology to habitat and coastal ecosystems conservation. I am interested in the sustainable management of marine resources, from an ecological and social perspective. With WWT as partner in my project, I have the great opportunity to see an environmental conservation organisation at work and understand more about the behind-the-scenes management of wetlands. I graduated with a Master’s degree in marine biology at the University of Padova, with a thesis on the comparison of nectonic communities near natural and artificial saltmarshes in the Venice Lagoon. I then worked as a research fellow at the Hydrobiological Station “Umberto d'Ancona” in Chioggia, reconstructing the causes of changes in the Venice Lagoon and the northern Adriatic Sea ecosystems by integrating fishers’ local ecological knowledge with long-term timeseries of fishery landings. Through my research I am investigating the importance of UK saltmarshes for fisheries species.
My project
Saltmarshes have crucial roles in coastal environmental and social resilience, and are a priority habitat for restoration, but face threats from land conversion and climate change. The scarcity of data on the role of marshes in supporting fisheries poses a significant barrier to effective restoration efforts.
My project aims at quantifying the ecological benefits of marsh restoration and conservation to fisheries species. It integrates empirical observations of fisheries species and their environmental predictors with a socio-environmental analysis of stakeholders and governance communities. The project has four chapters: Governance and stakeholder UK-wide mapping; Nationwide sampling of natural and restored saltmarshes; Lab-based assessment of marsh nursery importance; and Evaluation of barriers to managing marshes for fisheries species through a synthesis and consultation on governance opportunities and challenges. The overarching goal is to uncover practical solutions that boost the multi-functional incentives for saltmarsh management, fostering a positive impact on the stakeholder community.
Experience and interests
- Fisheries and marine ecosystems conservation;
- Interdisciplinary research: complementary use of different disciplines to study complex research questions;
- Public communication of science: use of different media and forms of communication to make scientific findings more accessible.