Eira Carballo Cárdenas

Eira Carballo Cárdenas serves as a lecturer in the Environmental Policy group at Wageningen University, where she combines her background in marine biology with expertise in environmental governance and citizen science. After training as a marine biologist with specializations in aquaculture, fisheries, and microalgae biotechnology, she has focused her research on the human dimensions of marine environmental issues, particularly the co-production of knowledge for marine conservation. Her PhD research examined citizen science practices in coral reef conservation in the Dutch Caribbean, investigating motivations for participation and the democratizing potential of digital technologies in environmental monitoring. Her influential work includes comprehensive studies of marine restoration governance, particularly examining the role of citizen science in invasive species management and coral reef conservation. She currently contributes to the MOOC on Transformative Citizen Science for Sustainability, sharing her expertise on knowledge co-production and digital technologies in environmental governance. Her research has gained significant recognition, with over 500 citations, establishing her as a leading voice in marine governance, protected areas, and environmental policy. Through her work, she emphasizes the importance of inclusive approaches to environmental knowledge production and the potential of digital tools to democratize environmental monitoring and conservation efforts.