European topic centre - university of malaga
Meet our team members
Dania Abdul Malak
ETC-UMA DIRECTOR
Dania Abdul Malak
ETC-UMA DIRECTOR
daniaabdulmalak@uma.es
+34 951 952 995
Dania Abdul Malak is a senior environmental researcher and Director of the European Topic Centre at the University of Malaga (ETC-UMA). She has over 15 years’ experience in environmental assessment and management. Her research focuses on setting transferable guidelines to apply ecosystem-based management to nature conservation and biodiversity protection at regional scales, including the Mediterranean and Europe. Her work supports the evidence behind the implementation of different Global, European and Mediterranean Directives such as the EU MSFD, the EU MSP, the EU Habitat Directive, the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Coastal and Marine Environment in the Mediterranean, as well as the Ramsar and the Carpathian Conventions.
Dania supports the European Environment Agency (EEA) by developing integrated ecosystem assessment frameworks to evaluate the functional capacity of ecosystems to provide ecosystem services. Furthermore, she coordinates several regional initiatives and participates in numerous international research projects related to her field of expertise. More recently, Dania is supporting the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) in implementing sustainable Development Strategies in Western Asian countries.
She has written several scientific papers and has co-authored many international and regional technical reports and books, namely Adapting to Climate Change- an assessment of Vulnerability and risks to Human Security in the Western Mediterranean basin (Abdul Malak et al., 2017); the European forest ecosystems report (EEA, 2016); European ecosystem assessment – concept, data, and implementation (EEA, 2015), Monitoring Post-fire EVI regeneration in the Eastern Iberian Peninsula using GIS and Remote Sensing in International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research (2016) among others. More on publications are available in the ETC-UMA´s publication section.
RESOURCES
Books
Abdul-Malak, D.; McGlade, K.; Pascual, D.; Pla, E.
1, Springer International Publishing, 2017, ISBN: 978-3-319-51680-6, (2191-5547 ISSN 978-3-319-51680-6 eBook ISBN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Climate Change, Mediterranean sea, Pressures
@book{Abdul-Malak2017,
title = {Adapting to Climate Change – An Assessment of Vulnerability and Risks to Human Security in the Western Mediterranean Basin},
author = {D. Abdul-Malak and K. McGlade and D. Pascual and E. Pla},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-51680-6},
isbn = {978-3-319-51680-6},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-01-01},
number = {100},
publisher = {Springer International Publishing},
edition = {1},
abstract = {This book examines the water-related impacts of climate change in the UNESCO Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean (IBRM) straddling Spain and Morocco. This is the first in-depth publication on a fascinating transboundary case study; while climate change effects are rather homogenous across the IBRM, differing socio-economic contexts, land-use patterns and policy frameworks in Spain and Morocco mean considerable variations in vulnerability and consequences for human security. The authors have produced a novel and integrated vulnerability assessment that combines hydro-ecological, socio-economic and policy analyses. The interdisciplinary approach and insights contained in this volume will appeal both to those interested in the integration of natural and social sciences as well as those working on water and climate change from academic, practical or policy-oriented perspectives.},
note = {2191-5547 ISSN
978-3-319-51680-6 eBook ISBN},
keywords = {Climate Change, Mediterranean sea, Pressures},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {book}
}
Journal Articles
Hatziiordanou, L.; Fitoka, E.; Hadjicharalampous, E.; Votsi, N. E.; Palaskas, D.; Abdul-Malak, D.
In: One Ecosystem, vol. 4, no. e32704, 2019.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation and management, Ecosystem services, Forest, Land and soil, Pressures, Wetlands
@article{Hatziiordanou2019,
title = {Indicators for mapping and assessment of ecosystem condition and of the ecosystem service habitat maintenance in support of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020},
author = {L. Hatziiordanou and E. Fitoka and E. Hadjicharalampous and N.E. Votsi and D. Palaskas and D. Abdul-Malak},
url = {https://oneecosystem.pensoft.net/article/32704/},
doi = {10.3897/oneeco.4.e32704},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-06-13},
journal = {One Ecosystem},
volume = {4},
number = {e32704},
abstract = {A systematic approach to map and assess the “maintenance of nursery populations and habitats” ecosystem service (ES) (hereinafter called “habitat maintenance”) has not yet emerged. In this article, we present an ecosystem service framework implementation at landscape level, by proposing an approach for calculating and combining a series of indicators with spatial modelling techniques. Necessary conceptual elements for this approach are: a) ecosystem condition, b) supply and demand of the targeted ecosystem service and c) spatial relationships between the Service Providing Units (SPU) and the Service Connecting Units (SCU). Ecosystem condition is quantified and mapped based on two indicators, the Biodiversity State and the Anthropogenic Impact. Quantification and mapping of supply and demand are based on the hypothesis that high supply can be activated in strictly protected areas and that a demand is localised in the Natura 2000 sites (N2K), considering them as the Service Benefit Areas (SBA). Wetlands are assessed as SCU between the SBA and the landscape areas where the habitat maintenance ES is supplied. By assessing wetlands as SCU, we intent to highlight their role as biodiversity stepping stones and as green infrastructures. Overall, we conclude that the EU biodiversity policy demand for no net loss and for a coherent N2K network can be met by enhancing the delivery of the habitat maintenance ES. This approach can assist policy-makers in prioritisation of conservation and restoration targets, in line with the EU biodiversity strategy to 2020 and the preparation of the post-2020 Strategy.},
keywords = {Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation and management, Ecosystem services, Forest, Land and soil, Pressures, Wetlands},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Rodríguez-Rodríguez, D.; Abdul-Malak, D.; Soukissian, T.; Sánchez-Espinosa, A.
Achieving Blue Growth through maritime spatial planning: Offshore wind energy optimization and biodiversity conservation in Spain Journal Article
In: Marine Policy, vol. 73, pp. 8-14, 2016.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Biodiversity, Blue Growth, Climate Change, Conservation and management, Pressures
@article{Rodríguez-Rodríguez2016d,
title = {Achieving Blue Growth through maritime spatial planning: Offshore wind energy optimization and biodiversity conservation in Spain},
author = {D. Rodríguez-Rodríguez and D. Abdul-Malak and T. Soukissian and A. Sánchez-Espinosa},
url = {https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305824278_Achieving_Blue_Growth_through_maritime_spatial_planning_Offshore_wind_energy_optimization_and_biodiversity_conservation_in_Spain},
doi = {10.1016/j.marpol.2016.07.022},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-11-01},
journal = {Marine Policy},
volume = {73},
pages = {8-14},
abstract = {Spain has a high potential for renewable energy production, being the world's third country by installed on-shore wind power. However, it has not yet fully developed its renewable energy production capacity, with no commercial offshore wind production to date, and remains highly dependent on fossil fuel imports. The country is also one of Europe's most biodiverse, on land and at sea. This study spatially assesses the country's offshore wind energy potential by incorporating the newly designated marine protected areas (MPAs) to the official Spanish strategic environmental assessment for the installation of offshore windfarms (SEA). It also identifies optimal areas for offshore windfarm development according to key physical variables such as wind speed, depth and substrate type. It finally assesses real commercial windfarm projects against current environmental constraints. The results show that nearly 50% of the whole area within 24 nm from the Spanish coast could be suitable for offshore windfarm development at the planning phase. However, only 0.7% of that area is optimal for wind energy production with current fixed turbine technology. Nevertheless, either area would allow Spain to meet its national targets of 750 MW of ocean power capacity installed by 2020 under adequate local wind conditions. Over 88% of all commercial windfarm project area is within the SEA's Exclusion zone, thus unfeasible under current circumstances. Technological breakthroughs like floating turbines may soon make the optimal windfarm area (OWA) less restrictive and reduce current environmental impacts of marine windfarms within a truly sustainable Blue Growth.},
keywords = {Biodiversity, Blue Growth, Climate Change, Conservation and management, Pressures},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Rodríguez-Rodríguez, D.; Sánchez-Espinosa, A.; Schröder, C.; Abdul-Malak, D.; Rodríguez, J.
Cumulative pressures and low protection: a concerning blend for Mediterranean MPAs Journal Article
In: Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol. 101, pp. 288-295, 2015.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Climate Change, Marine protected areas, Mediterranean sea, Pressures
@article{Rodríguez-Rodrígueza2015,
title = {Cumulative pressures and low protection: a concerning blend for Mediterranean MPAs},
author = {D. Rodríguez-Rodríguez and A. Sánchez-Espinosa and C. Schröder and D. Abdul-Malak and J. Rodríguez},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X15300540},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.09.039},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-12-01},
journal = {Marine Pollution Bulletin},
volume = {101},
pages = {288-295},
abstract = {This study classifies Mediterranean marine protected areas (MPAs) according to the combined result of pressure level and protection. Six major marine environment pressures were considered: pressures from fish farms, fishing, marine litter, pressures from marinas, pollution from maritime transport, and climate change. MPA protection was assessed through legal protection and management effort. Most MPA area in the Mediterranean is under relatively high pressure level and afforded low protection. Inshore areas show higher pressure levels. Five marine ecoregions, nine countries and nineteen MPA designation categories have over 50% of their MPA area under major concern. The mean number of cumulative pressures occurring in priority MPAs ranges between three and four, although the mean combined intensity of those pressures is low. However, these figures are most likely underestimated, especially for the southern Mediterranean. The most concerning pressures to MPAs regarding extent and intensity were: climate change, fishing and pollution from maritime transport.},
keywords = {Climate Change, Marine protected areas, Mediterranean sea, Pressures},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Technical Reports
Sánchez-Espinosa, A.; Abdul-Malak, D.; San-Román, S.; Vera, A.
Marine mega fauna and litter in the Mediterranean: Overview of impacts in MedBioLitter Technical Report
2022.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Biodiversity, Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Marine litter, Marine protected areas, Mediterranean sea, Pressures, Protected areas
@techreport{Sánchez-Espinosa2022,
title = {Marine mega fauna and litter in the Mediterranean: Overview of impacts in MedBioLitter},
author = {A. Sánchez-Espinosa and D. Abdul-Malak and S. San-Román and A. Vera},
url = {https://www.etc.uma.es/wp-content/uploads/Marine_mega_fauna_litter_Mediterranean_March2022.pdf},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-04-01},
urldate = {2022-04-01},
abstract = {This report highlights the conclusions coming from the analysis of MedBiolitter spatial and scientific data on interactions between marine fauna and litter in the Mediterranean published in English as in v.8 updated in March 2022, integrated with marine litter data collected by ACCOBAMS in the frame of the Aerial Survey Initiative on cetaceans and marine litter. The analysis focuses on the impacts on marine megafauna (large mammals like cetaceans and seals, turtles, cartilaginous fishes like sharks and rays, and scombridae like tuna and swordfish). This publication follows the publication of the “Mediterranean biodiversity and marine litter: an interaction knowledge base” report in the frame of the Interreg Mediterranean Biodiversity Protection project published in 2019. },
keywords = {Biodiversity, Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Marine litter, Marine protected areas, Mediterranean sea, Pressures, Protected areas},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {techreport}
}
Maes, J.; Erhard, M.; Conde, S.; Rodriguez-Vallecillo, S.; Barredo-Cano, J. I.; Paracchini, M.; Abdul-Malak, D.; Trombetti, M.; Vigiak, O.; Zulian, G.; Addamo, A.; Grizzetti, B.; Somma, F.; Hagyo, A.; Vogt, P.; Polce, C.; Jones, A.; Carré, A.; Hauser, R.
EU ecosystem assessment - Summary for policymakers Technical Report
Joint Research Center (JRC) 2021, ISSN: 1831-9424.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Biodiversity, Conservation and management, Ecosystem, Ecosystem services, Environmental conservation, Forest, Land and soil, Pressures, Protected areas, Wetlands
@techreport{Maes2021,
title = {EU ecosystem assessment - Summary for policymakers},
author = {J. Maes and M. Erhard and S. Conde and S. Rodriguez-Vallecillo and J.I. Barredo-Cano and M. Paracchini and D. Abdul-Malak and M. Trombetti and O. Vigiak and G. Zulian and A. Addamo and B. Grizzetti and F. Somma and A. Hagyo and P. Vogt and C. Polce and A. Jones and A. Carré and R. Hauser
},
editor = {Publications Office of the European Union},
url = {https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC123783},
doi = {10.2760/190829},
issn = {1831-9424},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-06-01},
institution = {Joint Research Center (JRC)},
abstract = {Europe’s ecosystems, on which we depend for food, timber, clean air, clean water, climate regulation and recreation, suffer from unrelenting pressures caused by intensive land or sea use, climate change, pollution, overexploitation and invasive alien species. Ensuring that ecosystems achieve or maintain a healthy state or a good condition is thus a key requirement to secure the sustainability of human activities and human well-being. This guiding principle applies for all ecosystems including marine and freshwater ecosystems, natural and semi-natural areas such as wetlands or heathlands but also managed ecosystems such as forests, farmlands and urban green spaces. Knowledge about ecosystem condition, the factors that improve or decline that condition, and the impacts on ecosystem services, with the benefits they deliver to people, is key to effective management, decision-making and policy design. Such an understanding helps target actions for conservation or restoration and more broadly sustainable use. This ecosystem assessment extends and complements the knowledge we have about the state and trends of ecosystems reported under the EU environmental legislation. The conservation of habitats and species as well as the environmental ambitions on freshwater and marine ecosystems have a well-defined thematic and geographical scope. This assessment goes beyond covering the entire terrestrial and marine territory of the EU and in many cases provides more spatially explicit information. Ecosystems inside and outside protected areas such as coastal and inland wetlands and forests contribute to the wellbeing of people through ecosystem services. Despite their importance, they are often heavily impacted and bringing these systems back in a good condition is a key objective for a more sustainable planet. But also human dominated ecosystems such as farmlands and urban green spaces are important providers of provisioning, regulating and cultural ecosystem services and can host remarkable levels of biodiversity that are at the basis of ecosystem services. These ecosystems should not be ignored when considering solutions to bend the curve of biodiversity loss. Consequently, this assessment brings together for the first time EU wide and commonly agreed data sets that can be used to assess the state and trends of ecosystems and their services as well as the pressures and their trends they are exposed to. This is particularly important to understand where and how much ecosystems are degraded and threatened so as to guide priority and cost-effective restoration efforts.},
keywords = {Biodiversity, Conservation and management, Ecosystem, Ecosystem services, Environmental conservation, Forest, Land and soil, Pressures, Protected areas, Wetlands},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {techreport}
}
UNEP-MAP,; Plan-Bleu,; Abdul-Malak, D.; Marín, A. I.; Schröder, C.; Sánchez-Espinosa, A.
SoED 2020 : State of Environment and Development in Mediterranean Technical Report
2020.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Marine protected areas, Mediterranean sea, Pressures, Protected areas
@techreport{UNEP-MAP2020,
title = {SoED 2020 : State of Environment and Development in Mediterranean},
author = {UNEP-MAP and Plan-Bleu and D. Abdul-Malak and A. I. Marín and C. Schröder and A. Sánchez-Espinosa},
url = {https://planbleu.org/en/soed-2020-state-of-environment-and-development-in-mediterranean/},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-12-01},
abstract = {The SoED provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of environment and development interactions in the Mediterranean region. The 2020 version consists of eight thematic chapters and is complemented by two summary papers: Summary for Decision Makers and Key Messages. Topics covered include: socio-economic drivers and trends; climate change; biodiversity and ecosystem services; economic activities and related pressures; coastal dynamics and related impacts; food and water security; health and environment; and governance.},
keywords = {Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Marine protected areas, Mediterranean sea, Pressures, Protected areas},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {techreport}
}
Guitart, C.; Abdul-Malak, D.; Sánchez-Espinosa, A.; Valverde, C. Pérez; Bigagli, E.; San-Román, S.
Mediterranean biodiversity and marine litter: an interaction knowledge base Technical Report
2020.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Biodiversity, Conservation and management, Marine litter, Marine protected areas, Mediterranean sea, Pressures
@techreport{Guitart2020,
title = {Mediterranean biodiversity and marine litter: an interaction knowledge base},
author = {C. Guitart and D. Abdul-Malak and A. Sánchez-Espinosa and C. Pérez Valverde and E. Bigagli and S. San-Román},
editor = {ETC-UMA},
url = {https://www.etc.uma.es/wp-content/uploads/PAN_report_Mediterranean-biodiversity-and-marine-litter_LowRes.pdf},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-01-10},
urldate = {2020-01-10},
abstract = {The Interreg-Med programme (2014-2020) has co-financed several initiatives that tackle the issue of marine litter. The Mediterranean Biodiversity Protection Community, co-financed by Interreg Med and featured by PANACeA, is one of these networks and aims at ensuring harmonized approaches to provide transferable evidence-based solutions on this growing challenge in the region. Part of the contribution of this Interreg Med community is to increase the evidence and the understanding of marine litter concerns and to reduce the pressures coming from marine litter as well as its impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems in the Mediterranean region.
The main areas of work of this community to date include the compilation of knowledge and available information on monitoring, measures and actions in marine protected areas (MPAs) and beyond, and to provide tools to support biodiversity protection and management to a wide range of stakeholders from local managers to regional policy makers in the Mediterranean region. An insight on projects tackling marine litter policy, management, pressures, impacts and best practices to combat litter in the marine and coastal environment is presented in Table 1. Five projects (out of 11 thematic projects within the Mediterranean Biodiversity Protection Community) have pursued marine litter pollution knowledge objectives. The knowledge generated by the Biodiversity Protection community has been synthesized here to offer coordinated knowledge and practice in the Mediterranean region and to contribute to both the Mediterranean and international marine litter reduction challenges.},
keywords = {Biodiversity, Conservation and management, Marine litter, Marine protected areas, Mediterranean sea, Pressures},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {techreport}
}
The main areas of work of this community to date include the compilation of knowledge and available information on monitoring, measures and actions in marine protected areas (MPAs) and beyond, and to provide tools to support biodiversity protection and management to a wide range of stakeholders from local managers to regional policy makers in the Mediterranean region. An insight on projects tackling marine litter policy, management, pressures, impacts and best practices to combat litter in the marine and coastal environment is presented in Table 1. Five projects (out of 11 thematic projects within the Mediterranean Biodiversity Protection Community) have pursued marine litter pollution knowledge objectives. The knowledge generated by the Biodiversity Protection community has been synthesized here to offer coordinated knowledge and practice in the Mediterranean region and to contribute to both the Mediterranean and international marine litter reduction challenges.
Gomei, M.; Abdulla, A.; Schröder, C.; Yadav, S.; Sánchez-Espinosa, A.; Rodríguez-Rodríguez, D.; Abdul-Malak, D.
Towards 2020: how Mediterranean countries are performing to protect their sea Technical Report
2019.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Biodiversity, Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Marine protected areas, Mediterranean sea, Pressures, Protected areas
@techreport{Gomei2019,
title = {Towards 2020: how Mediterranean countries are performing to protect their sea},
author = {M. Gomei and A. Abdulla and C. Schröder and S. Yadav and A. Sánchez-Espinosa and D. Rodríguez-Rodríguez and D. Abdul-Malak},
url = {https://d2ouvy59p0dg6k.cloudfront.net/downloads/towards2020_report_nov2019.pdf},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-11-01},
keywords = {Biodiversity, Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Marine protected areas, Mediterranean sea, Pressures, Protected areas},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {techreport}
}
Presentations
Aksoy, E.; Abdul-Malak, D.; Gardi, C.; Fons, J.
Impact assessment of major pressures on Earthworms in Europe. Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative in Dijon Presentation
01.12.2014.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Biodiversity, Land and soil, Pressures, Soil functions
@misc{Aksoy2014,
title = {Impact assessment of major pressures on Earthworms in Europe. Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative in Dijon},
author = {E. Aksoy and D. Abdul-Malak and C. Gardi and J. Fons},
url = {/wp-content/uploads/publications/Poster_GSBI_Aksoy_3.pdf},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-12-01},
keywords = {Biodiversity, Land and soil, Pressures, Soil functions},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {presentation}
}