Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
Agios Kosmas Helliniko, 16777 Greece
Dr. Vassilopoulou is an expert on fishery by-catches focusing particularly on discards mitigation, and was the coordinator of the MariFish project BADMINTON. Since 2009 she has been engaged in Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) applications under an Ecosystem-Based approach through her involvement in a number of EU funded projects (FP7 MESMA, DG-MARE ADRIPLAN, PAP-RAC MSP-Med, H2020 MUSES, COFASP ECOAST, Interreg MED AMAre, Interreg ADRION PORTODIMARE) acting as the scientific responsible of the HCMR, by either leading one of the project's Case Studies, or one of the workpackages (WPs). Her main research interests within MSP-related studies mainly focus on studying the cumulative impact of human activities on ecosystem components, and especially those of high conservation importance, and developing spatial management scenarios through close interaction with key stakeholders. Since 2012, she has been involved in research activities related to the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), and in 2015 she was the Mediterranean co-chair in the ICES Working Group on Descriptor 3 (WKGMSFDD3 + II). She is also engaged in efforts related to bridging science with policy needs, and was leading two policy-oriented WPs, one in the FP7 Project PERSEUS, and another in the SEAS-ERA project MERMAID dealing mainly with linking the MSFD and the UNEP/MAP EcAp concepts in order to achieve coherence in basin-wide environmental status assessments and management. She is a member of the HCMR core team in the BlueMed Coordination and Support Action, which focuses on exploring Blue Growth applications in the Mediterranean. Celia has also acted as chairperson or moderator in dedicated sessions related to her field of expertise organized by international organizations (GFCM-FAO on fishery discards) and in the frame of International Conferences (6th World Fisheries Congress, 8th Congress of the HelEcoS, 11th Panhellenic Symposium of Oceanography and Fisheries on MSP applications). She has been an invited speaker in Greek and international scientific events, and she also gives postgraduate courses in the Biology Dept. of the University of Athens and Thessaloniki. She is a member of international scientific organizations (e.g. the American Fisheries Society (AFS), the IUCN-Commission of Ecosystem Management (CEM)), and of national administrative ones (the Fisheries Council of the Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food). She has more than 150 publications and presentations in peer-reviewed scientific journals and national/international conferences.
geoPortal of Tools &Data for sustainable Management of coAstal and maRine Environment (Portodimare)
web site under construction
BLUEMED (BLUEMED)
http://www.bluemed-initiative.eu/the-project/
Actions for Marine Protected Area (AMARE)
http://msp-platform.eu/projects/amare-actions-marine-protected-areas
Multi-Use in European Seas (MUSES)
New methodologies for an ecosystem approach to spatial and temporal management of fisheries and aquaculture in coastal areas (ECOAST)
Towards the establishment of Marine Protected Area Networks in the Eastern Mediterranean (PROTOMEDEA)
Marine Spatial Planning in the Aegean for the conservation and the protection of biodiversity
ADRiatic Ionian maritime spatial PLANning (ADRIPLAN)
Towards COast to COast NETworks of marine protected areas (from the shore to the high and deep sea), coupled with sea-based wind energy potential (COCONET)
Policy oriented marine Environmental Research in the Southern European Seas (PERSEUS)
Monitoring and Evaluation of Spatially Managed Areas (MESMA)
Papatheochari, T., Vassilopoulou, V., Kokkali, A., Grati, F., Coccosis, H., Fabi, G., Bolognini, L., 2015. Maritime Spatial Planning concepts & approaches: focusing on Mediterranean examples of conflicts and synergies arising by fishery activities. In: Progressive Engineering Practices in Marine Resource Management. Advances in Environmental Engineering & Green Technologies (AEEGT) Book Series. Chapter 11. I. Zlateva, V. Raykov, N. Nikolov, editors, Published by IGI Global publishing, pg 348-370.
Kavadas,S., Maina, I., Damalas, D., Dokos, J., Pantazi, M., Vassilopoulou, V., 2015. Multi-criteria Decision Analysis as a tool to extract fishing footprints: application to small scale fisheries and implications for management in the context of Maritime Spatial Planning. Mediterranean Marine Science, 16(2): 294-304.
Vassilopoulou V. & Krassanakis V., 2016. Maritime Spatial Planning concepts, approaches and a pilot application in the Adriatic-Ionian Region. In: ESPON 2013 “Maritime Spatial Issues: Maritime dimension of territorial cohesion, Maritime Spatial Planning, sustainable Blue Growth". S. Kyvelou (ed.) Kritiki publ (in greek).
Brodersen, M., Pantazi, M., Kokkali, A., Panayotidis, P., Vassilopoulou V., 2017. Cumulative impacts from multiple human activities on seagrass meadows in eastern Mediterranean waters: the case of Saronikos Gulf (Aegean Sea, Greece). Environmental Science and Pollution Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0848-7
Gkadolou, E., Stithou, M., Vassilopoulou, V., 2018. Human pressures and carbon assessment of Posidonia oceanica meadows in the Aegean Sea: Limitations and challenges for ecosystem-based management. In: Special Issue of Regional Science Inquiry Journal "Coastal and Maritime Planning Developments in the Greek Context" (in press)