Sebastian Villasante

Biographic Data

ID3704833
NAMESebastian Villasante
GIVEN NAMESSebastian
FAMILY NAMEVillasante
SIGNATUREVILLASANTE S
AFFILIATIONSUniversidade de Santiago de Compostela
VERIFIEDNo
TOTAL WORKS30
TOTAL CITATIONS12
AUTHOR COUNT30
EDITOR COUNT0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR2013
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2026
H-INDEX2

  • Synergizing scientific and local knowledge for ecosystem services assessments

    Open AccessJacinto Cunha, Edna Cabecinha et al.ARTICLEPeople and Nature2026

    Integrating scientific and local ecological knowledge on ecosystem services (ES) is essential for effective and inclusive environmental management. Such an integration strengthens societal engagement, supports policy implementation and helps reduce sectoral conflicts across marine sectors. This study explored this synergy by assessing stakeholder perceptions of local ES and comparing them with existing scientific assessments in the NW coastal are…

  • Actions and actors driving transformative change for global sustainability

    Open AccessVictoria Reyes-García, Rainer M Krug et al.ARTICLENature Sustainability2026References: 10

  • Productivity changes and management systems in small-scale fisheries

    Open AccessJosé A Santiago, Villasante et al.ARTICLEMarine Policy2025

  • Fishing with science

    Open AccessJavier Seijo, Carlota Barañano et al.ARTICLEMarine Policy2025

  • Assessing and improving social equity in marine conservation

    Open AccessMark Andrachuk, Nathan J Bennett et al.ARTICLEPARKS2025

    Social equity is increasingly recognised as a fundamental principle in marine conservation. Global conservation policies now contain commitments to equitable management and governance, yet practical guidance on how to understand and assess equity in marine conservation remains limited. In this methodological paper, we introduce our process for developing three conceptually grounded, practical and adaptable approaches for assessing equity in marin…

  • Unlocking the economic potential of the fisheries sector in Cabo Verde

    Open AccessAbigail Rodrigues Ferreira, U Rashid Sumaila et al.ARTICLEMarine Policy2025

  • Marine recreational fisheries in Uruguay

    Open AccessMartín Laporta, Graciela Fabiano et al.ARTICLEMarine Policy2025

    Marine Recreational Fisheries (MRF) have significant economic, socio-cultural and ecological value globally, contributing up to 12 % of the world's finfish catch. In South America, participation in MRF is increasing, although research in this area is limited, with only a few countries conducting comprehensive studies. In Uruguay, MRF are defined in national legislation but there are no specific regulations, no scientific literature and no formal …

  • The costs of subsidies and externalities of economic activities driving nature decline

    Open AccessReyes‐garcía, Villasante et al.ARTICLEAMBIO2025References: 83

    Economic sectors that drive nature decline are heavily subsidized and produce large environmental externalities. Calls are increasing to reform or eliminate subsidies and internalize the environmental costs of these sectors. We compile data on subsidies and externalities across six sectors driving biodiversity loss—agriculture, fossil fuels, forestry, infrastructure, fisheries and aquaculture, and mining. The most updated estimates suggest that s…

  • The seeds' substrate

    Open AccessIgnacio Gianelli, Micaela Trimble et al.ARTICLEConservation Ecology2025

    The importance of connectedness in laying the ground for social-ecological transformations or in spreading new ideas and practices for transformation is increasingly recognized. However, the role of networks in supporting the emergence and growth of seeds (initiatives with the potential to positively shape the future) has not yet been comprehensively studied empirically. To this end, we introduce a novel concept, the seeds’ substrate, to characte…

  • Transforming the economic landscape for global sustainability

    Open AccessReyes‐garcía, Victoria Reyes-García et al.ARTICLEConservation Ecology2025

    The economic system’s interdependent relationship with nature is fraught with contradictions. While over half of global GDP moderately or highly depends on nature and subsidies to sectors driving nature’s decline, e.g., agriculture, fossil fuels, forestry, amount to trillions of dollars annually, funding for biodiversity conservation and restoration remains woefully inadequate. Bridging the biodiversity funding gap is crucial but alone does not e…

  • A threatened heritage

    Open AccessS de Juan, Ana Ruiz-Frau et al.ARTICLEMarine Policy2024

    This study underscores the crucial role of small-scale fisheries (SSF) in promoting sustainable fishing practices within the Mediterranean context, emphasizing the necessity to align fisheries commerce with local seafood consumption. SSF in the Mediterranean, particularly in the Balearic Islands, are vital for local communities, contributing significantly to fish catches, while being deeply intertwined with cultural heritage and traditional value…

  • Exploring perceptions to improve the outcomes of a marine protected area

    Open AccessJoão Garcia Rodrigues, Sebastian Villasante et al.ARTICLEConservation Ecology2024

    Marine protected areas (MPAs) are widely promoted as effective tools for conserving biodiversity and safeguarding ecosystem services. However, MPA success can be hindered by a lack of legitimacy and low social support because of perceived negative effects on ecosystem services and human well-being. Despite these social challenges, the social dimensions of marine conservation, such as the effects of MPAs on coastal livelihoods and local communitie…

  • The cofradías' role within the Fisheries Local Action Groups system

    Open AccessIria García‐lorenzo, María Ángeles Piñeiro Antelo et al.ARTICLESociologia Ruralis2024Cited by: 1References: 63

    Structural funds for fisheries have a long history in the European Union, but the use of public funds for the sustainable development of fisheries-dependent areas is a relatively recent practice. This approach is based on the concept of sustainable fisheries management and focuses on increasing the importance of the involvement of local communities in conservation and management. Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs), created to harmonise social …

  • Envisioning desirable futures in small-scale fisheries

    Open AccessIgnacio Gianelli, Micaela Trimble et al.ARTICLEConservation Ecology2024

    Despite the critical importance of small-scale fisheries for food security and well-being and the role of fishers as stewards of aquatic ecosystems, their future is uncertain. Tackling narratives that portray small-scale fisheries as obsolete, disparate, and inefficient requires collectively imagining and articulating new, creative, and inspiring narratives that reflect their real contributions and enable transformative futures. Drawing on a tran…

  • Assessing the delivery of ecosystem services and benefits to human well-being of three contrasting MPAs in Spain

    Open AccessPablo Pita, Antonio J Castro et al.ARTICLEConservation Ecology2024

    Marine and coastal ecosystems are indispensable for life on Earth, providing vital functions and serving as a significant source of prosperity for humanity. These ecosystems contribute to the generation of Marine Ecosystem Services (MES), encompassing the benefits derived from marine environments, which are pivotal for economic prosperity and societal well-being. Nonetheless, these valuable ecosystems are facing severe degradation due to various …

  • Sowing potential transformative changes in the fishing and agrifood systems – Conference report

    Open AccessJoan Moranta, David Florido Del Corral et al.ARTICLEMarine Policy2023

  • Public perceptions of marine litter and impacts on coastal ecosystem services in Galicia (Spain)

    Open AccessMariana Herrera, Pablo Pita et al.ARTICLEMarine Policy2023

  • Equity and Justice should underpin the discourse on Tipping Points

    Open AccessLaura M Pereira, Laura Pereira et al.PREPRINT2023References: 14

    Radical and quick transformations towards sustainability have winners and losers, with equity and justice embedded to a greater or a lesser extent. According to research, only the wealthiest 1-4 % of the global population will radically need to change their consumption, behaviours, societal values and beliefs in order to make space for an equitable and sustainable future for nature and people. However, narratives around many 'positive' tipping po…

  • Strengthening European Union fisheries by removing harmful subsidies

    Open AccessVillasante, Sebastian Villasante et al.ARTICLEMarine Policy2022

    Harmful fisheries subsidies have historically contributed to fleet overcapacity and continue to be allocated to the fishing industry to artificially maintain its profitability. However, in this contribution we show that removing harmful subsidies and reducing overfishing will help to recover the resource biomass, subsequently leading to increased levels of sustainable catches, income and well-being of fishers, and reduces inequities in income and…

  • Ecosystem services values and changes across the Atlantic coastal zone

    Open AccessLuiz Norberto Lacerda Magalhães Filho, Luiz Magalhães Filho et al.ARTICLEMarine Policy2022

  • Social sustainability and equity in the blue economy

    Open AccessNathan J Bennett, Villasante et al.ARTICLEOne Earth2022

  • Halophytes as novel marine products – A consumers’ perspective in Portugal and policy implications

    Open AccessMarco Custódio, Ana I Lillebø et al.ARTICLEMarine Policy2021

  • Information processing in the European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy

    Open AccessSebastiaan Princen, Katrijn Siderius et al.ARTICLEJournal of Public Policy2021Cited by: 2References: 45

    The policy studies literature is divided on how information processing takes place in policy processes. Punctuated equilibrium theory claims that policymakers tend to process information disproportionately, giving more weight to some incoming signals than to others. By contrast, thermostatic models of policymaking argue that policymakers respond in a more proportionate way. In this paper, we analyse information processing in the adoption of Total…

  • The role of cooperation for improved stewardship of marine social-ecological systems in Latin America

    Open AccessVillasante, Sebastian Villasante et al.ARTICLEConservation Ecology2015

    Villasante, S., and H. Österblom. 2015. The role of cooperation for improved stewardship of marine social-ecological systems in Latin America. Ecology and Society 20(1): 8. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-05949-200108

  • The Key Role of the Barefoot Fisheries Advisors in the Co-managed Turf System of Galicia (NW Spain)

    Open AccessGonzalo Macho, Inés Naya et al.ARTICLEAMBIO2013Cited by: 5References: 20