Božena Mitić has her expertise in several field of botany. At the beginning of her research career she has had a PhD degree in plant taxonomy and systematic, was involved in some nomenclature investigations, but she has also participated in researches of Croatian flora. In the past 10 years her research activities were extended on invasive alien plants and palynology. Together with colleagues she developed national standards and the preliminary list of invasive alien plants for Croatia. She permanently works on the mapping and distribution of invasive alien plants in Croatia, and at the moment on the revision and updating of the list of alien plants in Croatia. She launched modern palynological researches in Croatia and introduced a course on Palynology at the University of Zagreb, which piqued considerable interest among students. Since 2004 she has collaborated with the palynological group at the University of Vienna (Institute of Botany)

Biodiversity and Food Security, Climate Change and Global Warming, Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Management, Forestry, Marine Biodiversity, Plant and Animal Biodiversity, Sustainable Development and Vulnerable species.

Zhanqing Hao focused on the biodiversity and ecological functions. As one of the Chinese scientists who participated in biodiversity research, he initiated the establishment of 25ha temperate permanent monitoring forest plot in Northeast China at 2004, which is the earliest temperate forest plot in china and had been an important member of Chinese Forest Biodiversity Monitoring Network (CForBio). After that, a series of forest plots had been established along successional stages and latitude gradients. All those forest plot provided the opportunity to detect the biodiversity patterns and maintaining mechanisms in temperate forests.

Biodiversity, Ecology

Dr Vassilopoulou is involved in research activities in the field of ecosystem-based fisheries management, and as an expert on fishery by-catches focusing particularly on discards mitigation, she was the coordinator of the MariFish project BADMINTON. Since 2009 she has been engaged in Maritime Spatial Planning research issues through her involvement as either Work Package or Task leader in EU projects such as MESMA, ADRIPLAN, COCONET, PROTOMEDEA, MARISCA, ECOAST, AMARE. In the last years she is also working on issues related to the development of a more efficient interface between policy needs and scientific advice through interaction with stakeholders within efforts of the FP7 PERSEUS, the SEAS-ERA project MERMAID, and in the near future in the frame of the BLUEMED CSA. She has participated in several FAIR, STREP, INCO and EU (FP6, FP7, H2020) projects, in some of which as the leading scientist on behalf of the HCMR. She has acted as chairperson or moderator, and/or was an invited speaker, in sessions dedicated to topics of her expertise in international conferences and workshops, and has been giving pertinent postgraduate lectures in the Universities of Athens and Thessaloniki. She is member of International Scientific Committees and has recently joined the Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) of the IUCN. She has more than 150 publications and presentations in International Scientific Journals and Conferences.

Ecosystem-based Management, Marine Spatial Planning, Fisheries Biology and Ecology, Biodiversity, Ocean Governance

Charles A. Wade is a Professor of Biology at Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan. The appointment includes the teaching of lecture and laboratory classes, such as General Biology (Non-Science Majors), Applied Botany, Environmental Science, General Botany, Michigan Flora, Local Trees and Shrubs, General Ecology and Field Biology, over a two-year period. Research interests include urban forest ecology, urban ecosystem services, changes in the urban forests over time and the sustainability of the urban forest vegetation. Dr. Wade is also interested in helping educate people on the selection of the correct tree for the desired location as well as the health and conditions of the urban and peri-urban forest.

Biodiversity, Conservation

Professor Emeritus, Urban Forestry and Arboriculture, Michigan State University, USA

1-Amelioration of heavily compacted soils; soil and planting 2-Improvements on heavy clay soil 3-Status of street trees nationally 4-Management practices of U.S. urban foresters 5-Urban tree nitrogen fertilizer comparison 6-Dogwood genetic differences 7-Diplodia-resistant Austrian pine 8-Social attitudes toward neighborhood trees 9-Herbicide use by U.S. utilities. 10-Dendroremidiation of toxic/polluted soils 11-Sulfur treatment under sidewalks for reduced root problems