European topic centre - university of malaga
Meet our team members

Barbara Bauer
Research Support Officer
barbara.bauer@uma.es
--- --- ---
Barbara Bauer is an experienced ecologist with over a decade of expertise in aquatic ecology, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management. Holding a PhD in Aquatic Ecology from the University of Potsdam, she has developed a strong foundation in analysing the impacts of climate change on spatial and temporal biodiversity patterns.
Barbara is leveraging data analysis and stakeholder collaboration to inform decision-making in marine ecosystem management. Currently, as a Research Officer at ETC-UMA, she is mainly working on projects on related to monitoring the effectiveness of biodiversity management under different figures of conservation, in addition to analysing mobile species distributions and the pressures exerted on them.
Barbara’s skills include geo-analytics, ecosystem modeling, and tailored communication to scientific, policy, and public audiences. She has contributed to over 20 peer-reviewed publications.
Related projects
RESOURCES
Journal Articles

Sánchez-Espinosa, A.; Schröder, C.
Land use and land cover mapping in wetlands one step closer to the ground: Sentinel-2 versus Landsat 8 Journal Article
In: Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 247, pp. 484-498, 2019.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Geotechnology, Land and soil, SWOS, Wetlands
@article{Sánchez-Espinosa2019b,
title = {Land use and land cover mapping in wetlands one step closer to the ground: Sentinel-2 versus Landsat 8},
author = {A. Sánchez-Espinosa and C. Schröder},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479719308850},
doi = {10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.06.084},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-10-01},
journal = {Journal of Environmental Management},
volume = {247},
pages = {484-498},
abstract = {Environmental studies with Landsat images have revealed many of the problems faced by wetland ecosystem, which are crucial for the conservation of biodiversity and the natural values of our planet. The study of LULC changes in wetlands through remote sensing constantly helps to identify and combat their main environmental threats improving the conservation of these natural habitats. Starting in mid-2015, the Sentinel-2 satellite opens new possibilities in the field of earth observation thanks to its higher spatial, spectral and temporal resolution becoming a powerful source of information for LULC monitoring in wetland areas. However, researchers may ask them selves to what extent Sentinel-2 is an improvement over Landsat 8 for general purposes. This research test if there is a real difference in the quality of the results delivered by both Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 imagery when basic classification methods are applied.
The study uses Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 imagery to produce LULC maps in a Mediterranean wetland area applying an object based classification method in order to compare the accuracy and reliability in the surface detected by both satellites. The results show that an object based classification using only the Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 image information, without band indexes or ancillary data, offers very similar results for most LULC classes, being the overall accuracy around 87–88% with slightly better results when using Sentinel-2. Although using Sentinel-2 leads to an increase in file size and processing times, the analysis of certain LULC classes presents an improvement compared to Landsat 8, detecting more linear and small size elements with a better delineation of image features in the classified map. However, these improvements should not underestimate the value of Landsat imagery in the future since both satellites provide high precision information, so they can and should coexist and be used together to increase data availability in order to have the best possible results in remote sensing research.},
keywords = {Geotechnology, Land and soil, SWOS, Wetlands},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The study uses Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 imagery to produce LULC maps in a Mediterranean wetland area applying an object based classification method in order to compare the accuracy and reliability in the surface detected by both satellites. The results show that an object based classification using only the Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 image information, without band indexes or ancillary data, offers very similar results for most LULC classes, being the overall accuracy around 87–88% with slightly better results when using Sentinel-2. Although using Sentinel-2 leads to an increase in file size and processing times, the analysis of certain LULC classes presents an improvement compared to Landsat 8, detecting more linear and small size elements with a better delineation of image features in the classified map. However, these improvements should not underestimate the value of Landsat imagery in the future since both satellites provide high precision information, so they can and should coexist and be used together to increase data availability in order to have the best possible results in remote sensing research.

Sánchez-Espinosa, A.; Abdul-Malak, D.; Guelmami, A.; Perennou, C.
Development of an Indicator to Monitor Mediterranean Wetlands Journal Article
In: Plos One, vol. 10, no. 3, 2015.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Geotechnology, Wetlands
@article{Sánchez-Espinosa2015,
title = {Development of an Indicator to Monitor Mediterranean Wetlands},
author = {A. Sánchez-Espinosa and D. Abdul-Malak and A. Guelmami and C. Perennou},
url = {http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0122694},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0122694},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-03-31},
journal = {Plos One},
volume = {10},
number = {3},
abstract = {Wetlands are sensitive ecosystems that are increasingly subjected to threats from anthropogenic factors. In the last decades, coastal Mediterranean wetlands have been suffering considerable pressures from land use change, intensification of urban growth, increasing tourism infrastructure and intensification of agricultural practices. Remote sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques are efficient tools that can support monitoring Mediterranean coastal wetlands on large scales and over long periods of time. The study aims at developing a wetland indicator to support monitoring Mediterranean coastal wetlands using these techniques. The indicator makes use of multi-temporal Landsat images, land use reference layers, a 50m numerical model of the territory (NMT) and Corine Land Cover (CLC) for the identification and mapping of wetlands. The approach combines supervised image classification techniques making use of vegetation indices and decision tree analysis to identify the surface covered by wetlands at a given date. A validation process is put in place to compare outcomes with existing local wetland inventories to check the results reliability. The indicator´s results demonstrate an improvement in the level of precision of change detection methods achieved by traditional tools providing reliability up to 95% in main wetland areas. The results confirm that the use of RS techniques improves the precision of wetland detection compared to the use of CLC for wetland monitoring and stress the strong relation between the level of wetland detection and the nature of the wetland areas and the monitoring scale considered.},
keywords = {Geotechnology, Wetlands},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Proceedings

Martorell-Guerrero, G.; Marín, A. I.; Sánchez-Espinosa, A.; Schröder, C.
Herramientas de apoyo a la gestión de los humedales de Andalucía basadas en Google Earth Engine. Proceedings
2023.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Climate Change, Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Geotechnology, Groundwater, Pressures, Wetlands
@proceedings{nokey,
title = {Herramientas de apoyo a la gestión de los humedales de Andalucía basadas en Google Earth Engine.},
author = {G. Martorell-Guerrero and A. I. Marín and A. Sánchez-Espinosa and C. Schröder},
url = {https://riuma.uma.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10630/28052/Martorell_et_al_2023_SIAGA.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-11-13},
urldate = {2023-11-13},
booktitle = {Simposio del Agua en Andalucía 2023},
abstract = {Los humedales son ecosistemas claves a nivel global para la provisión de servicios ecosistémicos tan importantes como la regulación climática o el mantenimiento de la biodiversidad. Sin embargo, en las últimas décadas la situación de degradación y desaparición de estos hábitats es alarmante a pesar de ser centro de múltiples políticas internacionales de protección que, a la luz de los resultados que están teniendo, no han tenido la efectividad esperada en su implementación real. Por tanto, es necesario tomar medidas urgentes dirigidas a revertir esta situación y que su implementación sea evaluada de forma objetiva, sistemática y recurrente. Este trabajo presenta una herramienta web llamada GreenEye Hub para el seguimiento de los humedales del Inventario de Humedales de Andalucía basada en imágenes de satélite del Sentinel-2, técnicas de teledetección y en tecnologías de procesamiento de datos masivos mediante Google Earth Engine. La herramienta, con un diseño orientado a la gestión de estos ecosistemas, presenta una consola de visualización que permite realizar el seguimiento de los principales indicadores de agua y vegetación y el análisis de tendencias de estos. Es, por tanto, un sistema de apoyo a la gestión y a la toma de decisiones. Este estudio proporciona información de cómo es factible en la actualidad desarrollar un sistema de seguimiento de humedales a escala regional a partir de datos gratuitos accesibles y cómo esta herramienta constituye un proceso de transferencia del conocimiento desde la ciencia a la gestión.},
keywords = {Climate Change, Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Geotechnology, Groundwater, Pressures, Wetlands},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {proceedings}
}

Merkohasanaj, M.; Sánchez-Espinosa, A.; Abdul-Malak, D.; Schroder, C.; Truckenbrodt, J.; Marín, A. I.
Simposio del Agua en Andalucía (SIAGA), Huelva, 24 a 27 de octubre, 2018.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Ecosystem services, Geotechnology, Groundwater, SWOS, Wetlands
@proceedings{Merkohasanaj2018,
title = {Utility assessment in using optical and radar data to monitor surface water dynamic in wetland ecosystems, Fuente de Piedra, Spain (UMA)},
author = {M. Merkohasanaj and A. Sánchez-Espinosa and D. Abdul-Malak and C. Schroder and J. Truckenbrodt and A. I. Marín},
url = {/wp-content/uploads/Merkohasanajetal2018.pdf},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-10-24},
publisher = {Simposio del Agua en Andalucía (SIAGA), Huelva, 24 a 27 de octubre},
series = {SIAGA 2018},
abstract = {To enable a better conservation in wetland ecosystems is important to monitor continuous changes and pressures on them. In this context, satellite remote sensing has become one of the most suitable tools since it ensures good availability, high frequency and large coverage of imagery that is analyzed and validated in a harmonized way.
This study covers the validation process of Surface Water Dynamic (SWD) products of Fuente de Piedra, south Spain, developed in the framework of SWOS Horizon 2020 project, and assesses its applicability to provide accurate open water surface estimations and take a step further in enhancing water dynamics monitoring in wetland ecosystems.
Firstly, two different SWD temporal frequency (TF) datasets were generated for Fuente de Piedra: one using optical satellite data (Landsat time series), covering the period between January 2007 and September 2015, and the other using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data (Sentinel 1 time series), from November 2014 to March 2017. The open surface water extent area (SWE) was extracted for both cases and then validated with corresponded TF in-situ environmental data as precipitation, temperature and piezometric level.
Findings underscore that piezometric level is the first environmental variable highly correlated with the SWE and the variable with the strongest predictive capacity for SWD. Both optical and radar data provide high positive correlation with SWD, R= 0.932 for Landsat and R=0.936 for SAR products. The main conclusion of the study underlines the high accuracy of using remote sensing data in monitoring hydrological dynamics in this wetland ecosystem and provides evidence to use this approach for wetland monitoring at different scales.},
keywords = {Ecosystem services, Geotechnology, Groundwater, SWOS, Wetlands},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {proceedings}
}
This study covers the validation process of Surface Water Dynamic (SWD) products of Fuente de Piedra, south Spain, developed in the framework of SWOS Horizon 2020 project, and assesses its applicability to provide accurate open water surface estimations and take a step further in enhancing water dynamics monitoring in wetland ecosystems.
Firstly, two different SWD temporal frequency (TF) datasets were generated for Fuente de Piedra: one using optical satellite data (Landsat time series), covering the period between January 2007 and September 2015, and the other using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data (Sentinel 1 time series), from November 2014 to March 2017. The open surface water extent area (SWE) was extracted for both cases and then validated with corresponded TF in-situ environmental data as precipitation, temperature and piezometric level.
Findings underscore that piezometric level is the first environmental variable highly correlated with the SWE and the variable with the strongest predictive capacity for SWD. Both optical and radar data provide high positive correlation with SWD, R= 0.932 for Landsat and R=0.936 for SAR products. The main conclusion of the study underlines the high accuracy of using remote sensing data in monitoring hydrological dynamics in this wetland ecosystem and provides evidence to use this approach for wetland monitoring at different scales.
Technical Reports

Abdul-Malak, D.; Schröder, C.; Guitart, C.; Sánchez-Espinosa, A.; Fitoka, E.; Hatziiordanou, L.; Mino, E.; Flink, S.; Silver, E.; Strauch, A.; Ling, M.; Brown, C.; Simonson, W.; Scott, E.; Plasmeijer, A.; Thulin, S.; Philipson, P.; Weise, K.; Höfer, R.; Franke, J.; Guelmami, A.
Enhanced wetland monitoring, assessment and indicators to support European and global environmental policy Technical Report
2019.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Conservation and management, Ecosystem, Geotechnology, SWOS, Wetlands
@techreport{Abdul-Malak2019,
title = {Enhanced wetland monitoring, assessment and indicators to support European and global environmental policy},
author = {D. Abdul-Malak and C. Schröder and C. Guitart and A. Sánchez-Espinosa and E. Fitoka and L. Hatziiordanou and E. Mino and S. Flink and E. Silver and A. Strauch and M. Ling and C. Brown and W. Simonson and E. Scott and A. Plasmeijer and S. Thulin and P. Philipson and K. Weise and R. Höfer and J. Franke and A. Guelmami},
url = {https://www.etc.uma.es/wp-content/uploads/Enhanced_wetland_monitoring_assessment_indicators_support_European_global_environmental_policy.pdf},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-12-31},
abstract = {The 2019 report on Enhanced wetland monitoring, assessment and indicators to support European environmental policyidentifies the links between the Horizon 2020 Satellite-based Wetland Observation Service (SWOS) project outcomes (tools, methodologies and indicators) and existing policy frameworks at European and global levels. It aims to contribute to the refinement of EU Strategies and Directives to better integrate wetland ecosystems, contribute towards a European environmental model for wetland management and maintenance of their ecosystem services, and guide action towards achieving no-net-loss and restoration targets and objectives for wetland ecosystems. The report summarises (in four chapters) how SWOS can ensure a better understanding of wetland ecosystems, and thereby help to trigger further policy developments by improving key elements for wetland management.},
keywords = {Conservation and management, Ecosystem, Geotechnology, SWOS, Wetlands},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {techreport}
}
Presentations

Mancosu, E.; Abdul-Malak, D.; Sánchez-Espinosa, A.
Regional indicators to support forest ecosystem management in the Carpathian Mountains Presentation
28.09.2016.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Conservation and management, Forest, Geotechnology, Land and soil, Protected areas
@misc{nokey,
title = {Regional indicators to support forest ecosystem management in the Carpathian Mountains},
author = {E. Mancosu and D. Abdul-Malak and A. Sánchez-Espinosa},
url = {https://www.etc.uma.es/wp-content/uploads/Poster_Forum_Carpaticum_2016.pdf},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-09-28},
journal = {Forum Carpaticum 2016},
abstract = {The Carpathian Mountains are one of the most important forest ecosystems in Europe dueto the high concentration of virgin forests. The "protocol for sustainable forest management", signed by Carpathian convention Parties is formalising the need to preserve the richness and ensure sustainable use of its resources. Our research, in agreement with the Carpathian Convention Secretariat and the Environmental European Agency (EEA) is supporting this protocol with the identification and harmonization of dataset from multiple sources including Earth Observation, to combine and provide spatial indicators to support monitoring and management of forest far the Carpathians Environment Outlook (KEO) area.},
keywords = {Conservation and management, Forest, Geotechnology, Land and soil, Protected areas},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {presentation}
}

Sánchez-Espinosa, A.; Abdul-Malak, D.; Marín, A. I.
Mapping flood regulation capacity of coastal wetland ecosystems in the Mediterranean: Guadalhorce river mouth (Spain) Presentation
01.04.2016.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Ecosystem services, Geotechnology, SWOS, Wetlands
@misc{Sánchez-Espinosa2016,
title = {Mapping flood regulation capacity of coastal wetland ecosystems in the Mediterranean: Guadalhorce river mouth (Spain)},
author = {A. Sánchez-Espinosa and D. Abdul-Malak and A. I. Marín},
url = {/wp-content/uploads/publications/SWOS_Flood_EcoSummit2016.pdf},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-04-01},
keywords = {Ecosystem services, Geotechnology, SWOS, Wetlands},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {presentation}
}

Sánchez-Espinosa, A.; Abdul-Malak, D.; Schröder, C.; Martínez-Murillo, J. F.
01.01.2016.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Ecosystem, Geotechnology, Land and soil, SWOS, Wetlands
@misc{Sánchez-Espinosa2016b,
title = {Determination of wetland ecosystem boundaries and validation of habitat classifications using remote sensing: Fuente de Piedra (Spain).},
author = {A. Sánchez-Espinosa and D. Abdul-Malak and C. Schröder and J. F. Martínez-Murillo},
url = {/wp-content/uploads/publications/SWOS_EGU2016.pdf},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-01-01},
keywords = {Ecosystem, Geotechnology, Land and soil, SWOS, Wetlands},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {presentation}
}

Sánchez-Espinosa, A.; Abdul-Malak, D.; Guelmami, A.; Perennou, C.; Martínez-Murillo, J. F.
01.10.2015.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Geotechnology, Groundwater, SWOS, Wetlands
@misc{Sánchez-Espinosa2015b,
title = {Desarrollo de un indicador para el seguimiento de los niveles de inundación en humedales Mediterráneos. XVI Congreso de la Asociación Española de Teledetección (AET)},
author = {A. Sánchez-Espinosa and D. Abdul-Malak and A. Guelmami and C. Perennou and J. F. Martínez-Murillo},
url = {/wp-content/uploads/publications/Poster_Flooding_indicator.pdf},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-10-01},
keywords = {Geotechnology, Groundwater, SWOS, Wetlands},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {presentation}
}

Sánchez-Espinosa, A.; Abdul-Malak, D.; Guelmami, A.; Perennou, C.
Development of an Indicator to Monitor Mediterranean Wetlands Presentation
01.01.2015.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Geotechnology, Wetlands
@misc{Sánchez-Espinosa2015c,
title = {Development of an Indicator to Monitor Mediterranean Wetlands},
author = {A. Sánchez-Espinosa and D. Abdul-Malak and A. Guelmami and C. Perennou},
url = {/wp-content/uploads/publications/Poster_RHOMEO.pdf},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-01-01},
keywords = {Geotechnology, Wetlands},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {presentation}
}

Boosting Climate Resilience: Wetland4Change Project Advances Flood Management Solutions for Mediterranean Coastal Zones
The Mediterranean coastal zone´s combination of multiple severe climate hazards – rising temperatures, water scarcity, sea-level rise, and extreme weather events – makes it a hotspot for highly interconnected climate risks for the ecosystems and societies. Recent catastrophic floods in ...
RESTORE4Cs 1st Policy Brief: How can coastal wetlands help achieve EU climate goals?
The first RESTORE4Cs Policy Brief of RESTORE4Cs, “How can coastal wetlands help achieve EU climate goals?“, highlights the importance of European coastal wetlands for reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions. The key messages of the first RESTORE4Cs Policy Brief include: Coastal wetlands are important natural carbon stores, ...
Mapping the Impact of Blue Tourism in the Mediterranean
The IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation with the support of ETC-UMA in the framework of the Blue Tourism Initiative, has released a comprehensive report entitled “Mapping the Impact of Blue Tourism in the Mediterranean: Vulnerability Assessment of Coastal and Marine ...
StrategyMedFor Presented at Annual Medforval Meeting 2024
StrategyMedFor was prominently featured at the Annual Medforval Meeting 2024, held from June 5-7 in Fontecchio, Italy. The event brought together 25 practitioners from national parks and natural reserves across 9 Mediterranean countries, providing a valuable platform for StrategyMedFor to ...
Celebrating leadership in environmental management: an interview with Dania Abdul Malak
From designing integrated ecosystem assessments in Europe and the Mediterranean to transforming outcomes into evidence-based recommendations for regional stakeholders, the European Topic Centre on Spatial Analysis and Synthesis (ETC-UMA) stands as a flagship for territorial cooperation. At the forefront of ...
Save the date! Unlocking solutions for coastal conservation in Europe
How can coastal wetlands respond to major European Union objectives such as climate neutrality, biodiversity protection, and pollution reduction? What key role do coastal wetlands play in achieving EU commitments for climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation? The European Topic Centre ...
Towards a Strategy for the Sustainable Management of Mediterranean Forests (StrategyMedFor)
The StrategyMedFor project, co-financed by the Interreg Euro-MED programme, was launched at the University of Malaga during a two day meeting that took place on March 18 and 19, 2024. The European Topic Centre on Spatial Analysis and Synthesis (ETC-UMA), ...
Collaborative science for forests by ETC-UMA showcased in Slovenia during the COP23
As UNEP MAP partner organization, ETC-UMA recently engaged in the organization of a session with Mediterranean institutions under the topic of climate change, entitled: From COASTAL to FOREST ecosystems: Mediterranean Nature-based Solutions to tackle climate change and ensure the Resilience ...
Tools for conserving the Spanish coast
On the initiative of the Instituto Universitario Hábitat Territorio y Digitalización (iHTD) of the University of Malaga, around 70 representatives of Spanish public administrations, researchers, architecture and environmental science players and civil society signed up to the second debate on ...
GreenEye System: a cloud-based system to monitor wetlands in Andalusia
Developed in the frame of the LifeWatch INDALO project cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the study of biodiversity and global change in Andalucia, GreenEye System, this new cloud-based monitoring system, provides useful tools for wetlands’ assessment, ...
Looking back and forth to Mediterranean Forests
Timely published to enrich the knowledge available to fight fires and climate change challenges after an extremely hot summer, the proceedings of the Seventh Mediterranean Forest Week “Forest and Ecosystem Restoration for the next Mediterranean Generations” held from 21 to ...
More space for innovative Mediterranean forest data partnerships
The report entitled A knowledge baseline on Mediterranean forests supported by innovation launched in July by ETC-UMA provides a highlight of what Mediterranean countries and institutions are doing to integrate new digital, satellite and Artificial Intelligence technologies into forest monitoring ...
The Earth from Space shown by ETC-UMA at FANTEC 2023
Students from 80 centers from all over Andalusia came together on Friday 19 May 2023 at the High School of Industrial Engineering of the University of Malaga to participate, one more year, in the Andalusian Technology Fair 2023. Antonio Sanchez ...
ETC-UMA launches new technologies applied to ecosystem knowledge
Built on the Google Earth Engine cloud computing platform, the new wetland monitoring system based on remote sensing data, developed by ETC-UMA and presented in April 2023 at the National Centre for Environmental Education (CENEAM by its acronym in Spanish) ...