Researcher
Department of Integrated Marine Ecology
Tel.: +39 081 5833226
Fax: +39 081 7641355
E-mail: tomas.vegafernandez(at)szn.it
Orcid ID: 0000-0002-8788-4253
Scopus author ID: 15728953700
WoS Researcher ID: P-5693-2014
Research interests
My research is focused on ecological processes, in particular those prompting community change. The most dynamic areas of the sea are found at the shorelines, and major drivers of change in coastal waters are habitat degradation, biological invasions and fisheries. Hence I study the changes produced in the structure of communities following environmental degradation; those produced by invasive non-native species; and those involved in phase shifts resulting from overfishing. I aim to obtain robust inference from carefully crafted experimental designs, thoughtful application of statistical models, and rigorous hypothesis testing.
My work in marine protected areas and fishery reserves placed me in the wider context of the Ecosystem-Based Marine Spatial Management. Such research is aimed to provide answers to specific questions resulting from societal concerns like legitimacy of the management action, management efficiency, sustainability of natural resource exploitation, balance between top-down and bottom-up governance structures, and fairness of the distribution of costs and benefits resulting from management actions. Such a research is developed in highly collaborative environments with economists, social scientists and human geographers. I work with international organizations, managers and stakeholders, often in a reciprocal learn-by-doing fashion, with the ultimate goal of achieving sustainability and resilience of the socio-ecological systems in the face of uncertainty.
Selected Publications
● Mačić V, Albano PG, Almpanidou V, Claudet J, Corrales X, Essl F, Evagelopoulos A, Giovos I, Jimenez C, Kark S, Marković O, Mazaris AD, Ólafsdóttir GA, Panayotova M, Petović S, Rabitsch W, Ramdani M, Rilov G, Tricarico E, Vega Fernández T, Sini M, Trygonis V, Katsanevakis S (2018). Biological invasions in conservation planning: A global systematic review. Front. Mar. Sci. 5: 178 (1-13). https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00178
● Röckmann C, Vega Fernández T, Pipitone C (2018). Regulation and planning in the Mediterranean Sea. In: Johnson K, Dalton G, Masters I (eds.) Building Industries at Sea: ‘Blue Growth’ and the new maritime economy. River Publishers, Gistrup: pp. 365-401.
https://doi.org/10.13052/rp-9788793609259
● Buhl-Mortensen L, Galparsoro I, Vega Fernández T, Johnson K, D’Anna G, Badalamenti F, Garofalo G, Carlström J, Piwowarczyk J, Rabaut M, Vanaverbeke J, Schipper C, van Dalfsen J, Vassilopoulou V, Issaris Y, van Hoof L, Pecceu E, Hostens K, Pace ML, Knittweis L, Stelzenmüller V, Todorova V, Doncheva V (2017). Maritime ecosystem-based management in practice: Lessons learned from the application of a generic spatial planning framework in Europe. Mar. Pol. 75: 174-186. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2016.01.024
● Bulleri F, Badalamenti F, Iveša L, Mikac B, Musco L, Jaklin A, Rattray AJ, Vega Fernández T, Benedetti-Cecchi L (2016). The effects of an invasive seaweed on native communities vary along a gradient of land-based human impacts. PeerJ 4: e1795. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1795
● Stelzenmüller V, Vega Fernández T, Cronin K, Röckmann C, Pantazi M, Vanaverbeke J, Stamford T, Hostens K, Pecceu E, Degraer S, Buhl-Mortensen L, Carlström J, Galparsoro I, Johnson K, Piwowarczy J, Vassilopoulou V, Jak R, Pace ML, van Hoof L (2015). Assessing uncertainty associated with the monitoring and evaluation of spatially managed areas. Mar. Pol. 51: 151-162. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2014.08.001
● Pipitone C, Badalamenti F, Vega Fernandez T, D’Anna (2014). Spatial management of fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea: Problematic issues and a few success histories. In: Magnus LJ, Sandell J (eds.) Adv. Mar. Biol. 69: 371-402.
http://dx.doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-800214-8.00010-4
● Katsanevakis S, Stelzenmüller V, South A, Sørensen TK, Jones PJS, Kerr S, Badalamenti F, Anagnostou C, Breen P, Chust G, D’Anna G, Duijn M, Filatova T, Fiorentino F, Hulsman H, Johnson K, Karageorgis AP, Kroencke I, Mirto S, Pipitone C, Portelli S, Qiu W, Reiss H, Sakellariou D, Salomidi M, van Hoof L, Vassilopoulou V, Vega Fernández T, Vöge S, Weber A, Zenetos A, ter Hofstede R (2011). Ecosystem-based marine spatial management: a review of concepts, policies, approaches, and critical issues. Ocean Coastal Manage. 54: 807-820.
http://dx.doi.org/101016/j.ocecoaman.2011.09.002
● Luna-Pérez B, Valle-Pérez C, Vega Fernández T, Sánchez-Lizaso JL, Ramos-Esplà A (2010). Halocynthia papillosa (Linnaeus, 1767) as an indicator of SCUBA diving impact. Ecol. Indic. 10: 1017-1024. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2010.02.010
● Vega Fernández T, D’Anna G, Badalamenti F, Pérez-Ruzafa A (2009). Effect of simulated macroalgae on the fish assemblage associated with a temperate reef system. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 376: 7-16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2009.05.012
● Bonaviri C, Vega Fernández T, Badalamenti F, Gianguzza P, Di Lorenzo M, Riggio S (2009). Relative role of fish vs. starfish predation in controlling sea urchin populations in Mediterranean rocky shores. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 382: 129-138. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps07976
