Maria de Andres Garcia

Maria de Andres Garcia is an Associate Professor in the Department of History, Geography and Philosophy at the University of Cádiz, affiliated with the Marine Research Institute (INMAR) and leading the HUM117 research group on Coastal Planning and Management. Her work integrates geographical, ecological, and socio-economic perspectives to address coastal management challenges.

She earned her PhD from the University of Cádiz in 2017 with the thesis "Analysis and Trends of the World's Coastal Cities. Implications for the Management of Coastal Marine Ecosystems," supervised by Dr. Juan Manuel Barragán Muñoz and Dr. Marinez Eymael Garcia Scherer.

Her research centers on socio-ecological systems in coastal environments, examining urbanization impacts, marine spatial planning boundaries, and ecosystem-based management. She investigates transboundary cooperation frameworks (particularly in Macaronesia and the Caribbean) and develops methodologies for defining socio-economic criteria in marine protected areas. Her work emphasizes balancing human well-being with coastal ecosystem conservation through integrated approaches.

Recent publications in top journals like Cities, Land Use Policy, and Ocean & Coastal Management reveal consistent focus on coastal zone delineation using socio-ecological frameworks, conflict-resolution in offshore energy-tourism interfaces, and urban-coastal management strategies. Key trends include cross-border marine spatial planning innovations and empirical studies on Andalusian and Caribbean coastal systems.

Maria de Andres Garcia serves as principal investigator for the FEDER Andalucía 2014-2020 project "Sustainability on the Andalusian Coast. Ecosystem-based Management for Human Well-being," and teaches in the Environmental Sciences Bachelor's program and Erasmus Mundus WACOMA master's program. She conducts specialized coastal management courses and serves as a reviewer for high-impact journals.

She actively collaborates through the Ibero-American Network for Integrated Coastal Management (Red Ibermar) and the Marine Research Institute (INMAR), conducting international research stays across Europe and Latin America to advance interdisciplinary coastal sustainability solutions.