European topic centre - university of malaga
Meet our team members

Gabriel Martorell
sPECIALIST IN APPLIED GEOTECHNOLOGIES
gabriel.martorell@uma.es
+34 951 952 997
Gabriel is a specialist in Applied Geotechnologies linked to Earth Observation, with experience in projects at European, regional, and local levels. He holds a degree in Geography (UIB) and is specialised in Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing (UdG). He initially began his journey with ETC-UMA as an intern, while pursuing his post-graduate studies, to later become an official member of the team in 2022.
He contributes to various activities linked to the European Environment Agency (EEA) and Copernicus as a member of the European Topic Centre on Data Integration and Digitalisation (ETC/DI) consortium, as well as to projects related to wetlands and forest ecosystems. His work includes processing, managing, describing and analysing spatial data; designing and implementing data processing methodologies and performing large-scale data computations. He has contributed to the development of a wetland monitoring system using remote sensing data for the regional government of Andalusia and has produced data and analyses for activities and projects at local, regional and European level. He has also participated in national and European conferences and events, as well as lecturing to school and university audiences.
Gabriel has experience in programming languages (JavaScript, Python, SQL), proficiency in GIS-related software and tools (desktop GIS, Google Earth Engine, GUIDOS, etc.) and experience in the production of end-user products (maps, data viewers, dashboards).
RESOURCES
Journal Articles

Martorell-Guerrero, G.; Rodríguez-Rodríguez, D.; García-Millán, V. E.
Long-term assessment of the effectiveness of coastal protection regulations in conserving natural habitats in Spain Journal Article
In: Ocean & Coastal Management, vol. 239, 2023.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Geotechnology, Land and soil, Pressures, Tourism
@article{nokey,
title = {Long-term assessment of the effectiveness of coastal protection regulations in conserving natural habitats in Spain},
author = {G. Martorell-Guerrero and D. Rodríguez-Rodríguez and V. E. García-Millán},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964569123001266},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2023.106601},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-05-15},
journal = {Ocean & Coastal Management},
volume = {239},
abstract = {Spain has undergone rapid socioeconomic development in the past three decades. This has been linked to massive residential and infrastructural development based on a short-term, profitable and resource-intensive consuming model. As a result, large amounts of agricultural, natural and semi-natural soils have been lost to artificial areas, especially around main cities and on the coast. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of the Spanish Shores Act at preventing land development in two biogeographical regions and three administrative scales between 1988 and 2020 using a BACI design and remote sensing data. We also analysed the combined effect of other regulations to prevent land development on the coast. The Shores Act was effective in reducing land development although moderate to substantial land development occurred in the zones affected by the Law, especially in the Mediterranean region. Adding other sectoral regulations to the Shores Act notably and consistently reduced land development across regions. Among them, cumulative protected area (PA) regulations were most effective in reducing coastal land development. The use of satellite images, especially Sentinel 2A MSI data within a BACI design, proved a useful method for assessing the effectiveness of fine-scale objectives of environmental policies such as the Shores Act.},
keywords = {Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Geotechnology, Land and soil, Pressures, Tourism},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

García-Millán, V. E.; Rodríguez-Rodríguez, D.; Oncina, A. Martín; Andrianarimisa, A.; Randriamiharisoa, L. O.; Martorell-Guerrero, G.; Bóveda, A.; Abdul-Malak, D.
Identification of Priority Forest Conservation Areas for Critically Endangered Lemur Species of Madagascar Journal Article
In: Land, vol. 11, iss. 9, no. 1455, 2022.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Biodiversity, Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Forest, Geotechnology, Protected areas
@article{García-Millán2022,
title = {Identification of Priority Forest Conservation Areas for Critically Endangered Lemur Species of Madagascar},
author = {V. E. García-Millán and D. Rodríguez-Rodríguez and A. Martín Oncina and A. Andrianarimisa and L. O. Randriamiharisoa and G. Martorell-Guerrero and A. Bóveda and D. Abdul-Malak},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/land11091455},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.3390/land11091455},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-09-01},
urldate = {2022-09-01},
journal = {Land},
volume = {11},
number = {1455},
issue = {9},
abstract = {Forests have extraordinary importance for the conservation of endemic species in Madagascar. However, they are disappearing fast due to a number of pressures, notably unsustainable agricultural practices leading to aggravated status of biodiversity. Here, we used a number of ecological and spatial criteria to identify and prioritise unprotected forest areas for the conservation of the eight critically endangered species of lemur belonging to the Lemuridae family in Madagascar. By combining spatial information layers on the distribution areas of the studied lemurs, forest extension and conservation status, and potential human impacts (such as roads, human settlements and agriculture lands), it was possible to identify the most appropriate sites for the expansion of the conservation areas of critically endangered lemur species. Seven new sites, totalling over 33,000 ha, were identified as priority sites for the protection of those species. All of them were adjacent to or inside (just one site) existing protected areas (PAs), which likely makes their protection both feasible and socioeconomically efficient by enlarging those PAs. Legally protecting these sites would not only take Madagascar one little step ahead for meeting oncoming global biodiversity targets for 2030 but could also make a substantial contribution to the mid-term survival of the studied lemur species.},
keywords = {Biodiversity, Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Forest, Geotechnology, Protected areas},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}

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) ...