Simone Martino

Senior Researcher in Valuing Natural Capital
Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences
E: simone.martino@hutton.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)344 928 5428 (*)

Simone has a multidisciplinary background that embraces scientific, social and economic aspects of natural resources and ecosystems, addressing the valuation of ecosystem services (in the marine and terrestrial environment), and implications for policy, governance and resource management. Simone’s research addresses both ecological and natural aspects of resource valuation by coupling ecological and economic models and contributing to discover trade-offs or win-win between users through deliberative approaches. Economic strategies for the management of resources are oriented to the implementation of markets mechanisms to protect natural capital and facilitate generation of public goods provided by ecosystems like beaches, saltmarshes, peatlands and forests. Simone has matured experience as research and teaching fellow in environmental economics and marine resource economics in Italy (University of Tuscia) and the UK (National Oceanography Centre Southampton; Scottish Association for Marine Science; University of York), and in NGOs as ecosystem services officer at the Environmental Markets team of Fauna & Flora International (UK).

Biography

Simone is currently working on two H2020 projects, FireEUrisk, where he is investigating the possibility to frame an integarted capitals approach to assess how to measure economic and social impacts of wildfires, and FRAMEwork, where he is exploring a Natural Capital Asset profiling for farmers  clusters integrated in a socio-ecological framework.

In addition, Simone is contributing to the development of natural capital approaches under different lenses, with the goal of exploring innovative approaches based on the integartion of monetary and non-monetary methods, the analysis of perception of risk to natural capital caused by cliamte change and wildfires, and the implementation of natural capital in different sectoral policies at national and international scale under three projects funded by the Scottish Government RESAS Strategic Research Programme (SRP) 2022-27:

JHI-D5-1: Bringing in participatory approaches to widen the scope of natural capital valuation | The James Hutton Institute

JHI-D5-2:Climate change impacts on Natural Capital (Earth, Water and Fire)

 

Prior to appointment publications

Selected Papers

  1. Koutrakis, E. T., Sapounidis A., Marzetti S., Giuliani V., Martino S., Fabiano M., Marin V., Paoli C., Roccatagliata E., Salmona P., Rey-Valette H., Roussel S., Povh D. and Malvárez C. G., 2010, Public Stakeholders’ Perception of ICZM and Coastal Erosion in the Mediterranean, Coastal Management, 38(4), 354–377.

  2. Koutrakis, E. T., Sapounidis A., Marzetti S., Giuliani V., Martino S., Fabiano M., Marin V., Paoli C., Roccatagliata E., Salmona P., Rey-Valette H., Roussel S., Povh D., Malvárez C. G., 2011, ICZM and coastal defence perception by beach users: Lessons from the Mediterranean coastal area, Ocean and Coastal Management, 54 821-830.

  3. Martino S.,Parson M.L., 2012. A comparison between manganese nodules and cobalt crusts economics in a scenario of mutual exclusivity, Mar. Policy 36, 790-800.

  4. Martino S., Parson M.L, 2013. Spillovers between cobalt, copper and nickel: implications for deep seabed mining, in press on Mineral Economics; Volume 25, Issue 2-3, pp 107-127; DOI 10.1007/s13563-012-0027-8

  5. Amos, CL, Sutherland, TF, Martino S, AL Rashidi T., Sea surface temperature trends in the coastal zone of British Columbia, Canada. JCR_January 2014, http://www.jcronline.org/doi/pdf/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-14-00114.1

  6. Martino S.,Amos C.L., 2015. Valuation of the ecosystem services of beach nourishment in decision-making: The case study of Tarquinia Lido, Italy. Ocean & Coastal Management 111, 82-91.

  7. Marzetti S., Disegna M., Koutrakis E., Sapounidis A., Marin V., Martino S., Roussel S., Rey-Valette H. and Paoli C. 2016. Beach Visitors’ Awareness of ICZM and WTP in European Mediterranean Regions: a Case-Study. Marine Policy 63, 100-108.

  8. Martino S., 2016. An attempt to assess horizontal and vertical integration of the Italian coastal governance at national and regional scales Revista de Gestão Costeira Integrada / Journal of Integrated Coastal Zone Management

  9. Evangelia G. Drakou, Charlène Kermagoret, Camino Liquete, Ana Ruiz-Frau, Kremena Burkhard, Ana I. Lillebø, Alexander P. E. van Oudenhoven, Johanna Ballé-Béganton, João Garcia Rodrigues, Emmi Nieminen, Soile Oinonen, Alex Ziemba, Elena Gissi, Daniel Depellegrin, Kristina Veidemane, Anda Ruskule, Justine Delangue, Anne Böhnke-Henrichs, Arjen Boon, Richard Wenning, Simone Martino, Berit Hasler, Mette Termansen, Mark Rockel, Herman Hummel, Ghada el Serafy, Plamen Peev. 2017. Marine and coastal ecosystem services on the science-policy-practice nexus: challenges and opportunities from 11 European case studies. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 13(3): 51-67.

  10. Martino, S,Dominic Muenzel 2018. The importance of the Common Agricultural Policy in sustaining wellbeing in high nature value farmland: the case study of the Natura 2000 Zarandul de Est (Romania). 2018. Journal of Rural Studies 60, 176–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2018.04.002.

  11. Dominic Muenzel, Martino, S, 2018. Assessing the feasibility of carbon payments and Payments for Ecosystem Services to reduce livestock grazing pressure on saltmarshes, Journal of Environmental Management 225, 46-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.07.060

  12. Martino, Simone, Paul Tett, Jasper Kenter, 2019. The interplay between economics, legislative power and social influence examined through a social-ecological framework for marine ecosystems services. Stoten (2018), doi:10.1016/ j.scitotenv.2018.09.181

  13. Thiago FM, Martino, Simone, Duarte A.F., Andrson, L., Davis, K.J., Silva, S., Bateman, IJ., 2019. Fire, tractors and health in the Amazon: a cost benefit analysis of fire policy. Land Economics, August 2019, Volume 95, Issue 3

  14. McKinley, E., Pagès, J.F., Alexander, M., Burdon, D., Martino, S., 2020. Uses and management of saltmarshes: A global survey, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (2020), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2020.106840.

  15. Martino, S.,Gianella, F., Davidson, K. 2020. An Approach for Evaluating the Economic Impacts of Harmful Algal Blooms: the Effects of Blooms of Toxic Dinophysis spp. on the Productivity of Scottish Shellfish Farms. Harmful Algae 99 (2020) 101912.

  16. Martino, S., Gianella, F., Davidson, K. 2020.The impact of toxic Dinophysis spp. on the productivity of Scottish shellfish farms. HARMFUL ALGAE NEWS NO. 66 / 2020

Selected reports

  1. Emmanuil Koutrakis, Argiris Sapounidis, Valentino Giuliani, Fulvio Cerfolli, Giuseppe Nascetti, Martino, S, Mauro Fabiano, Emanuele Roccatagliata, Marzetti Silva, Hélène Rey-Valette, Sébastien Roussel, Franck Bellet, 2008, Concerted actions, tools and criteria for the implementation of the Integrated Coastal Zones Management (ICZM) in the Mediterranean, Phase A,B, C Technical Report Project Beachmed-e, INTERREG IIIC SUD. Available in English and French at the web site www.beachmed.it.

  2. Martino S.,2009. Valuation of the state of conservation of sea in the Lazio Region and feasibility analysis for establishing MPAs at regional scale: analysis of the legislative vulnerabilities, Regione Lazio, Direzione Regionale Ambiente e Cooperazione Popoli, 85 pp. (report in Italian). Available at http://www.cmgizc.info/documenti

  3. Martino S.,2009. Valuation of the conservation status of territorial waters in the Lazio Region and feasibility analysis for establishing MPAs at regional scale: analysis of the environmental conditions of the Lazio Region coastal and marine territorial waters, Regione Lazio, Direzione Regionale Ambiente e Cooperazione Popoli, 58 pp. (report in Italian). Available at http://www.cmgizc.info/documenti/decos1.pdf

  4. Martino S.,Sian Morse-Jones, Helen Anthem, Helen Schneider, Sophie Benbow, Jack Rhodes, Alison Gunn, Mark Infield, Rob Small, Steven Lowe. 2015. Lessons from Valuing Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Complex Agricultural Landscapes in Low Income Countries. Unpublished.

  5. Burrows M.T., Fox, C.J., Moore, P., Smale, D., Sotheran, I., Benson, A., Greenhill, L., Martino, S., Parker, A., Thompson, E., Allen, C.J. 2018. Wild Seaweed Harvesting as a Diversification Opportunity for Fishermen. A report by SRSL for HIE, pp. 171.

  6. Martino, S.2020. Integration and coordination of Cultural heritage policies within ICZM and MSP. 770504 – PERICLES – 2020-SC6-CULT-COOP-2016-2017. Available at www.pericles-heritage.eu › 2020/05 › PERICLES_D5.3_v1.0.pdf.

  7. Di Jin, Stephanie Moore, Dan Holland, Leif Anderson, Weol-Ae Lim, Do-Hoon Kim, Sunny Jardine, Simone Martino, Fatima Gianella and Keith Davidson. 2020. Evaluating the Economic Impacts of Harmful Algal Blooms: Issues, Methods, and Examples. Page 5-41. In Vera Trainer (eds). GlobalHAB Evaluating, Reducing and Mitigating the Cost of Harmful Algal Blooms: A Compendium of Case Studies. PICES Scientific Report No. 59 2020

  8. Keith Davidson, Sunny L. Jardine, Simone Martino, Geir B. Myre, Liam E. Peck, Rebecca N. Raymond and Jennifer Joy WestPage. 2020. The Economic Impacts of Harmful Algal Blooms on Salmon Cage Aquaculture, page 84-94. In Vera Trainer (eds). GlobalHAB Evaluating, Reducing and Mitigating the Cost of Harmful Algal Blooms: A Compendium of Case Studies. PICES Scientific Report No. 59 2020 

Talks at conferences and workshops

  1. Martino, S., Paul Tett, Jasper Kenter. 2016. How does economics fit into social-ecological aspects of marine and coastal ecosystem management? MASTS 2016. 6th Annual Science Meeting- Our Marine Environment- A shared Resource. Glasgow October 2016.

  2. Martino S.2017 A time series simultaneous equation model for salmon demand and supply: welfare implication of expanding production. MASTS 2017. 7th Annual Science Meeting. Sea Change – Changing Seas, Changing times. Glasgow 4-6th October 2017.

  3. Martino S.,2018. An ecological-economic modelling approach to assess changes in preferences and values of wildlife recreation.  Society and the Sea: Investinblue. The value of the Ocean and Coasts for the sustainable development. University of Greenwich. 6th and 7th September 2018

  4. Martino S. 2018. Presentation at the Marine Ecosystem Research Programme workshop, held in Glasgow on 26th October 2018,  to discuss with Scottish coastal stakeholders values inspiring preferences for fishing measures under different management scenarios

  5. Martino, S.2019. Presentation at the final VNP Peatland workshop, held in Teesdale (UK) on 5th February 2019 to discuss with North Pennines AONB stakeholders changes in peatlands’ ecosystem services provision under different management scenarios

  6. Martino, S. 2019. Linking monetary and non-monetary valuation to promote sustainable governance of the EU’s fisheries as cultural heritage. Invited speaker at European Parliament, Brussels, 3rd April 2019 for the event “Valuing Marine Ecosystem Services – taking into account the value of ecosystem benefits in the Blue Economy”.

  7. Martino, S. 2019. The approach used in the MERP project to integrated ecological economic and cultural values in the fisheries of West coast of Scotland. Invited speaker at SRUC by Corinne Baulcomb.

  8. Martino, S. 2019. Assessing gaps on marine natural capital accounting. International marine ecosystem accounting workshop. Helsinki, 10 October 2019

  9. Martino, S., Davidson, K. 2019. The economic impacts of harmful algal bloom on Scottish shellfish. PICES International Workshop on Economic Impacts of Harmful Algal Blooms. Victoria Island, Vancouver, Canada , 17-20 Oct 2019

  10. Martino, S. 2021. Emerging Results from GANE Scope Review. 22nd and 23rd April 2021. At Sustex 21. Sustainable solutions in challenge time. Texas A&M.

  11. Martino, S. et al 2021. Mainstreaming a new economics: levers for change in a post-COVID economic recovery. ISEE 2021. 5th to 8th July 2021. Manchester University

Research

Simone is currently exploring the role of Natural Capital approach and valuation (in monetary and non-monetary terms) in agroecosystems and forest affected by fire. The first investigates within the remit of the H2020 Framework project (https://www.framework-biodiversity.eu/) the possibility to launch a natural capital initiative tackling the landscape scale and involving stakeholders at a clustered levels rather than the single farms to discover how common decisions in land use management made by farmers can benefit natural capital and biodiversity, and thus providing positive return to farmers and society. The second, within the remit of the H2020 project FirEUrisk (https://fireurisk.eu/), explores the socioeconomic effects of fire on natural capital within and suggest an integrated approach that considers the effect on built human and social capitals to increase resilience of communities affected by wildfires.

Past research

Since 2016 Simone’s research has investigated the social-economic impacts of human activities on saltmarshes, in particular changes in carbon sequestration caused by different livestock grazing pressure (Muenzel and Martino, 2018), and the importance of natural peatland attributes (type of landscape, wildfowl abundance, water quality, etc.) in the valuation of recreational services provided by the AONB North Pennines peatlands under rewetting policy (paper under review in Ecosystem Services – VNP PEAT/NERC- https://www.peatlandtippingpoints.com). In addition, Simone has worked in the marine context, focussing on the link between fishing effort and impacts on wildlife conservation and changes on recreational values (wildlife watching) under different fishing management scenarios (MERP/NERC-DEFRA- https://www.marine-ecosystems.org.uk/), and on the ecological and economic consequences of algal blooms for the Scottish mussel production (Martino et al, 2020 – Pices 2019- https://meetings.pices.int/meetings/annual/2019/pices/scope). More recently, Simone has tested preferences for different fire policies in the Amazon and implemented them in a stochastic version of the Kaldor-Hicks cost-benefit analysis (Morello et al., 2019), and under the remit of the H2020 Pericles project (https://www.pericles-heritage.eu/) has elicited consumers’ preferences for seafood, as a multidimensional product characterized by cultural aspects (e.g. freshness, locality of the captures, fishing-related maritime heritage aspects) to provide new insights and implications for fisheries and tourism policies (under review he Journal of Maritime Studies). The broad set of values proposed in research (MERP and VNP-PEAT) is synthetized in common view by deliberative multi-criteria analysis, as an alternative approach to cost benefit analysis to establish a new governance where stakeholders can agree synergistic positions overtaking the traditional view centred on trade-offs offered by mainstream economics.

Projects managed and funds granted

  • Life Natura 2002

Aim:Ecological rehabilitation of a dismissed salt work along the Central Tyrrhenian coast of Italy (2003-2006). Budget: Euro 1,056,549. Duties: Preparation of the technical and financial proposal; project management, technical report, budget control and financial report; in charge of delivering the Management Plan of the “Salina di Tarquinia”,  brochures and website http://www.unitus.it/life/

  • Life+Natura 2008

Aim:Defending the sea grass marine habitat Posidonia oceanica in the central Tyrrhenian by proposing passive and active measures against trawling and illegal diving activities http://www.lifeposeidone.eu/index.php. (2009-2013). Budget: Euro 1,400,000 Duties: Preparation of the proposal and financial plan. Project manager during the first year.

  • ICZM MED Interreg III C SUD Beachmed-e EU project

Aim:Assessing the economic impact of beach nourishment (2006-2008). Pilot site: Tarquinia beach Lazio Region, Italy. Budget: Euro 25,000; Duties: project proposal formulation; project management and financial form preparation; valuation of direct economic benefits; recreational value for beach users of the re-nourished beach; cost-benefit analysis; proposal of a local fee to beach users according to the benefits they receive (Pigouvian tax paid according to the value of the externalities).

  •  Valuing Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services pilot projects ( 2013-2015)

Aim:valuing ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes in low-income countries. Budget: £600,000. Duties: project manager, regional teams’ coordination; research on valuation of forestry ecosystem services; reporting and budgeting

Contribution as researcher CoI to EU and UK grants (2016-2021)

  • H2020 PERICLES– ref 770504 – 2018-2021 – PI: Alyne Delaney (Aalborg University, DK) “Preserving and Sustainably Governing Cultural Heritage and Landscapes in European Coastal and Maritime Regions”.  Role: 1) assessing integration and coordination of CH policies within ICZM; 2) valuing the monetary value (premium) for wild captures produced by a local artisanal fishery.
  • NERC VNPPEAT – NE/P00783X/1 – 2016-2019 Valuing Nature Programme – Peatland Tipping Points Budget £470k– PI Prof. Mark Reed Newcastle University (UK). Aim: understanding how climate change and changes in land use management are likely to trigger tipping points in the provision of ecosystem services. Role: valuation of ecosystem services (carbon sequestration, livestock grazing, grouse shooting, and recreation) at ecological tipping points.
  • NERC/DEFRA MERP – NE/L003058/1 – 2016-2018 Marine Ecosystems Research Programme Work Package 3 £1.2m – PI Prof. Mike Heath Strathclyde University (UK). Role: addressing key knowledge gaps in marine ecosystem research. Duties: Valuation of ES (fisheries, aquaculture, seaweeds, wildlife watching) under different fishing management scenarios.

Publications

Journals

Prior to appointment

Books / chapters

Technical / contract reports

  • Martino, S.; Mzek, T.; McKee, A. (2023) A literature review of the potential benefits and costs of proposed land reform measures, Unpublished report for the SG Land Reform Team
  • Joyce, K.; Martino, S.; Poskitt, S.; Nijnik, M. (2023) Milestone M1.2 – An analysis of knowledge gaps in natural capital valuation, Report for RESAS Milestone M1.2, 28pp
  • Martino, S.; Patil, I.; Martinat, S.; Waylen, K. (2023) Where is Natural Capital being used in Policy-Making? Preliminary results from an international review, Milestone Report output of the RESAS 2022-2027 JHI-D5-3 project ‘Galvanising Change via Natural Capital’
  • Joyce, K.; Martino, S.; Poskitt, S.; Rivington, M.; Nijnik, M. (2023) Engagement workshop with stakeholder experts to discuss values of forest natural capital and gaps in implementing vlues and valuation methods, Milestone 3.1: report on Joint D5-1 / D5-2 Natural Capital Stakeholder Workshop – 19th May 2023 for the Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Servies Division of the Scottish Government through it’s Stratefic Research Programme (2022-2027).
  • Poskitt, S.; Rivington, M.; Martino, S.; Joyce, K. (2023) Report on Natural Capital Stakeholder Workshop: Deliverable D3.2a for the Project D5-2 Climate Change Impacts on Natural Capital, The James Hutton Insitute, 17pp
  • Gagkas, Z.; Rivington, M.; Glendell, M.; Gimona, A.; Martino, S. (2023) Fire Danger Assessment of Scotish Habitat Types Deliverable 23b for the Project D52 Climate Change Impacts on Natural Capital, Technical report for JHI-D5-2 project.
  • Rivington, M.; Jabloun, M.; Gimona, A.; Martino, S.; Aitkenhead, M.; Glendell, M.; Gagkas, Z. (2023) Climate Extremes in Scotland. Deliverable D2.1b for the Project D5-2 Climate Change Impacts on Natural Capital, Zenodo, 10.5281/zenodo.7699842.
  • Martino, S.; Rivington, M. (2022) Literature review of societal perceptions of wildfire risk and mitigation behaviours. A report for the RESAS Strategic Research Programme project ‘The impacts of climate change on Natural Capital (JHI-D5-2), Zenodo, 10.5281/zenodo.7659036.
  • Martino, S.; Rivington, M. (2022) Literature review of societal perceptions of wildfire risk and mitigation behaviours. A report for the RESAS Strategic Research Programme project ‘The impacts of climate change on Natural Capital (JHI-D5-2), Report submitted to RESAS.

Conference papers

  • Martino, S.; Roberts, M.; Wooldridge, T.; Ovando Pol, P.; Moulliot, F.; Pernice, U.; Ortega, M.; Velea, R.; Laterza, R.; Moreira, B. (2022) Developing an Integrated Capitals Approach to Understanding Wildfire Vulnerability. Preliminary Considerations from a Literature Review, IX INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FOREST FIRE RESEARCH & 17th International Wildland Fire Safety Summit, 11 – 18 November 2022, Coimbra, Portugal

Conference posters / abstracts

  • Joyce, K.; Poskitt, S.; Martino, S.; Nijnik, M.; Miller, D. (2024) Identifying conditions for an enabling institutional environment for Natural Capital / Ecosystem Services via Social Innovation: an analysis of Scottish policies in the forest context, Presentation at IUFRO World Congress, 23-29 June 2024, Stockholm, Sweden
  • Nijnik, M.; Miller, D.; Martino, S.; Poskitt, S.; Joyce, K.; Martinat, S.; Wang, C.; McKeen, M. (2024) Incorporating participatory assessment methods into natural capital valuation, Abstract submitted for the session on “Innovation in valuation and governing of forest ES to strengthen forest resilience and create pathways to societal impacts” The IUFRO 2024 World Congress, 23-29 June 2024, Stockholm
  • Patil, I.; Martinat, S.; Waylen, K.; Martino, S. (2023) Natural capital thinking in policy making a review of international cases, RESAS Science, Evidence and Policy Conference, 18 May 2023, Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh
  • Martino, S.; Rugani, B.; Begg, G.; Ovando Pol, P.; Ndlovu, T.; Petucco, C.; Petucco, C.; McHugh, N.; Simmons , A. (2022) Integrating Natural Capital in socioecological farm systems for gaining sustainability and wellbeing in EU farm clusters, Electronic booklet of the 4th ESP Europe Conference, 10-14 October 2022, Heraklion, Crete
  • Rivington, M.; Aitkenhead, M.; Gagkas, Z.; Nijnik, M.; Gimona, A.; Martino, S. (2022) Climate Change impacts on Natural Capital Value, 4th Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) Europe Conference, 10-14 October 2022, Heraklion.
  • Martino, S.; Begg, G.; Ndlovu, T.; Rugani , B.; Petucco , C.; Ovando Pol, P.; McHugh, M.; Simmons, A. (2022) Integrating Natural Capital into socioecological farm systems for gaining sustainability and wellbeing in EU farm clusters, Hutton Annual Research Symposium 2022, 24 November 2022, Altens Hotel, Aberdeen.
  • Nijnik, M.; Miller, D.; Martino, S.; Martinat, S.; Waylen, K.; Wang, C.; McKeen, M.; Gimona, A.; Rivington, M.; Ovando, P. (2022) Incorporating participatory assessment methods into natural capital valuation, 4th ESP Europe Conference, 10-14 October 2022, Heraklion, Crete.
  • Nijnik, M.; Martino, S.; Martinat, S.; McKeen, M.; Wang, C.; Miller, D. (2022) Safeguarding forest natural assets by incorporating participatory approaches to natural capital valuation, International IUFRO Symposium. Managerial forest economics and accounting as a base for decision making in a changing world, 5-7 September 2022, Hamburg, Germany