Marta Panero
Technical Adviser
Marta joined ITOPF in January 2024, where she is a member of the Americas team. She holds a BSc in Marine Biology (University of Exeter and James Cook university) and a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Marine Ecology and Conservation at James Cook University, Australia. Marta’s MPhil research focused on Octocorals spatial distributions, ecological interactions with fish assemblages and responses to their decline in health on inshore areas of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Previous Experience
Prior to joining ITOPF, Marta worked for the NGO CoralWatch at the University of Queensland, focusing on environmental education and science communication. Marta held roles as a Marine Scientist (NEOM, Saudi Arabia) conducting data analysis and Environmental Impact Assessments on different habitats such as coral reefs and seagrass meadows in the Red Sea. She also worked as a Marine Technician conducting ballast water sampling onboard large vessels within the maritime sector in Australia. Her professional journey includes work on coral bleaching at the Australian Institute of Marine Science and collaboration in various conservation projects in remote locations in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Cuba. Marta’s primary area of expertise lies in reef and temperate ecosystem research, monitoring, scientific diving, marine habitat restoration and environmental education.
Languages
Italian (native)
English (fluent)
Spanish (fluent)
ITOPF Working Groups
Marta is a member of the Fisheries Working Group.
Published papers
Panero, M., Galbraith, G.F., Srinivasan, M. et al. Roles of depth, current speed, and benthic cover in shaping gorgonian assemblages at the Palm Islands (Great Barrier Reef). Coral Reefs 42, 1045–1057 (2023).