Nicolas Moity
Nicolas Moity is a marine ecologist and geospatial expert whose research focuses on the role of Marine Protected Areas and conservation in mitigating climate change, as well as their vulnerability to global environmental changes, including anthropogenic impacts. His work seeks to understand the complex interactions between natural and human-driven factors in coastal and marine ecosystems, with particular emphasis on climate change effects. He examines the carbon sequestration and storage potential of marine and coastal ecosystems, the impacts of marine heatwaves, and the vulnerability of species, ecosystems, and their ecological functions to climate change, using the Galápagos Islands as a case study.
Nico earned his Bachelor’s in Biology, specializing in marine and environmental biology, from the University of Alicante in 2002. He holds a Master’s in GIS from Ulster University, where he received the “Outstanding Contribution to GIS Award” for his thesis in 2010, a Master’s in Biodiversity, Conservation, and Management of Species and Habitats from the University of Alicante, and a Postgraduate in Remote Sensing from UNED University. Nico leads research on mangrove ecology, rocky intertidal ecosystems, marine tourism impacts on MPAs, and modeling marine ecosystems, species distributions, and fisheries indicators. He also established a climate change monitoring network in the Galápagos Marine Reserve. Specializing in marine spatial planning and ecology, he has worked closely with the Galápagos National Park on conservation planning and zoning, integrating scientific research with practical conservation strategies for the sustainable management of Galápagos marine ecosystems.