Seminars / Workshops / Training schools

Valia Drakou is an Associate Professor of Environmental Physical Geography at Harokopio University of Athens in Greece. She holds a PhD in Landscape Ecology and her research has been focusing on the understanding of natural processes at the landscape and seascape level and the assessment, quantification and mapping of ecosystem services. Her research interests lie in working in transitioning and vulnerable systems, such as the coastal zone, and small and medium islands. She also focuses on understanding the impacts of restoration and rewilding in these areas. She has been involved in the Values Assessment of IPBES as a contributing author and has recently been selected to serve as a Lead Author in the IPBES Spatial Assessment. She is leading Working Group 2 on ecosystem services in small and medium islands under the SMILES COST Action and has been part of several European Research Projects.

Roxanne S. Lorilla is an environmental scientist and geographer, currently serving as a postdoctoral researcher at the Geography Department of the Harokopio University of Athens. Her research focuses on ecosystem services, spatial analysis, and the science-policy interface within socio-ecological systems, including Mediterranean and island landscapes. She applies geospatial methods and machine learning to map and assess ecosystem services, supporting their integration into planning and policy. Roxanne has led and contributed to numerous European research projects and initiatives, co-leads Working Group 2 on ecosystem services in small and medium islands under the SMILES COST Action, and served as a Fellow in the IPBES Nexus Assessment for assessing the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food, health, and climate change.

Robert D. Fish is Professor of Environmental Sustainability at Imperial College London. He is a social scientist and human geographer by training, with research interests in the social and cultural dimensions of natural resource management and a particular specialism in rural and agricultural environments. In recent years, Rob has played a prominent role in the elaboration of interdisciplinary approaches to the valuation of nature within UK environmental policy and decision making. His recent graphic textbook on this topic, Valuing Nature: The Roots of Transformation, won the Taylor & Francis Outstanding STEM Book of 2021.

Joana Seguin is a geographer and (palaeo)environmental scientist, currently working as a
postdoctoral researcher in Physical Geography and Digital Landscape Ecology at the Institute of Earth
System Sciences of the Leibniz University Hannover.
Her scientific expertise encompasses a broad range of activities, from collecting data in the field and
processing it in the laboratory to performing data analysis using geographic information systems
(GIS) and statistical methods. These analyses address questions related to land use and climate
change, as well as seeking to better understand Earth's surface structures and processes and the
provision of ecosystem services. Geographically, her focus lies on the Eastern Mediterranean area.
Currently, her research concentrates on mapping and assessing ecosystem services, with a particular
emphasis on spatio-temporal analyses across various scales. Joana has been actively involved in
global, European and national research projects. She is currently engaged in coordinating the EU
Horizon Project SELINA (2022-2027), which aims to enhance the incorporation of ecosystem services
and natural capital into evidence-based decision-making across Europe.

George Kefalas is an environmental scientist and geographer, currently serving as a postdoctoral researcher at the Geography Department of the Harokopio University of Athens. His research lies in the broader field of landscape ecology, spatial analysis, and remote sensing, with a focus on assessing changes in landscape composition and structure, land use and biodiversity, and ecosystem services. He has participated in numerous European and national research projects, contributing expertise in GIS, landscape analysis, ecosystem services mapping, and protected areas assessment. George is a member of Working Groups 1, 2 and 3 of the SMILES COST Action, focusing on ecosystem services and land use/climate change impacts on small-medium islands.