Training School on enhancing the knowledge base of ecosystem services in small and medium island environments
27–28 September 2025 | Samos, Greece
How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit their application by 16 August 2025 via the following online form:
SMILES Training School 2025 | Application form
Timeline
– Opening of applications:
–> 17 July 2025
– Application deadline:
–> 16 August 2025
– Notification of selected participants:
–> 23 August 2025
The training school is organized within the SMILES COST Action (CA21158) “Enhancing Small-Medium IsLands resilience by securing the sustainability of Ecosystem Services”Are you engaged in island-relevant research or policy and eager to explore interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability and disaster risk reduction? Apply now to join a dynamic 2-day Summer Training School, organized under the SMILES COST Action. This training offers a platform for hands-on learning and exchange on the role of ecosystem services (ES) in small and medium islands (SMIs) which are unique environments that provide critical ecological, cultural, and economic benefits both locally and beyond. Participants will be introduced to core theoretical foundations, practical tools, and field-based applications of ES assessments. The training aims to explore how the ES concept can be applied to safeguard critical ecological, cultural, and economic benefits through integrated, cross-disciplinary methods in island contexts.
Trainers
Rob 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.
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.
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.
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