Workshop: Protected Marine Areas in EU and LAC

Paula A Zapata Ramirez, PhD, MSc. is a marine biologist and professor of research methods at UPB. Her research includes remote sensing approaches for benthic observation, such as habitat mapping techniques to evaluate and manage marine ecosystems and influence policy related to environmental protection. Her main goal is to use the resulting maps from her technical research as tools for participatory decision-making that can help ensure a sustainable future for the marine environment and safeguard the livelihoods of local communities. Paula is strong at overcoming cultural and language barriers as regularly working within inter-institutional, international, and multicultural teams. She also has extensive experience in creating partnerships between recognized international research institutions and organisations. Paula has a BSc (Hons) in Marine Biology from Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano in Colombia, where she evaluated the natural and anthropogenic impacts on the coral reefs of the National Natural Park Corals of the Rosario, Colombian Caribbean. Her MSc in marine geology from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) addressed why specific coral reef ecosystems develop where they do (and why do they not develop elsewhere), and what controls their establishment and development at the National Reef Park  of Puerto Morelos, México. Her PhD from Universitá Politecnica delle Marche, Italy evaluated the use and application of marine technology (e.g ROV, Remote sensing, Machine learning) to support Marine Protected Areas management and design and Marine Spatial Planning decisions. She was also a postdoctoral researcher at the Marine Geosciences Department at University of Miami – RSMA, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, where she studied the evolution of the Caribbean coral reefs during the last 20 Mys. https://granseaflower.com/about/