Mark Spalding is a Senior Marine Scientist, Global Marine Team, The Nature Conservancy, based out of the University of Siena, Italy. He concurrently holding an Honorary Research Fellowship with the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge with some lecturing roles. Mark also has a part-time position as Chief Scientific Advisor to the Government of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).
Mark has a passion for the natural environment, particularly the oceans. He has worked continuously in the international conservation arena since graduating, and while studying for his PhD. He has built up an extensive experience, including fieldwork, regional and global studies. Alongside producing key publications on tropical coastal ecosystems he has worked more widely on oceans and protected areas issues, most recently having a strong focus on measuring ecosystem service delivery at large to global scales.
Mark’s work centers on the assessment of global biodiversity, and on the enumeration of ecosystem services, particularly around mangrove forests and coral reefs. This includes work on nature-dependent tourism, coastal protection, fisheries, marine protected areas and mangrove restoration.