Laetitia M. Navarro, PhD

Laetitia M. Navarro, PhD

•Conservation biology •Rewilding •Global Change Biology •Biodiversity monitoring & knowledge •Science-policy interface

I am a conservation biologist at the Doñana Biological Station of the Spanish Research Council (EBD-CSIC), in the Department of Conservation Biology and Global Change (Biología de la Conservación y Cambio Global).

My goal is to understand the patterns and processes of biodiversity change while proposing novel approaches to address such change. I am particularly interested in how biodiversity responds to human activities (or a lack thereof) and how this knowledge can support effective conservation policies.

My research is interdisciplinary by nature and I enjoy integrating disciplines such as theoretical, spatial, and quantitative ecology, with geography and social sciences. The approaches that I use for this purpose range from modelling and statistical analysis to systematic reviews.

Concretely, my research is organized around three interconnected lines of investigation:

  • Understanding the patterns and processes of biodiversity change across scales: I am interested in understanding the drivers and pressures affecting biodiversity and the patterns and processes of the resulting change. I’m also curious about how knowledge on biodiversity change and the way that it is communicated can influence decision- and policy-making.
  • Ambitious approaches to restoration and conservation: A lot of my research has focused on the restoration of abandoned land in Europe with ecological rewilding. I’m more generally interested in how rewilding can improve the complexity, integrity and connectivity of ecosystems. And to support effective policies, I’m also curious about the perception of degradation and restoration.
  • Biodiversity monitoring and knowledge that can effectively support conservation policies: I find the multifaceted nature of biodiversity change quite fascinating, which led me look into the (often) contrasting behaviors of biodiversity metrics. Since my time at the GEO BON secretariat I have dedicated a significant part of my research to biodiversity monitoring, and on mechanisms to connect biodiversity knowledge to policy making.

In february 2023, I was awarded a MSCA fellowship and started my BaseShift project at EBD-CSIC in July 2023.