Javier Benayas

Javier Benayas is a full professor in the Department of Ecology at the Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain). He is part of the socioecosystems laboratory research team that addresses environmental problems from a social and human ecology perspective. His first lines of research focused on evaluating the quality and success of different environmental education programmes. Since he assumed responsibility as vice-rector of the UAM, he has had a strong involvement in developing models to transform universities into more ecologically sustainable institutions, experience that he has transferred to cities and urban environments. Throughout his career, he has developed studies in various parts of the world (such as the Galapagos Islands) to assess the impacts of visitors in protected natural areas and propose management models that minimize such impacts. These studies are based on the idea that conservation can be compatible with enjoyment, if it is associated with the application of an adaptive management model based on scientific results. This experience led him to be involved, since 2008, in different investigations in Antarctica to analyze the human impact in a global way and the more specific impact of tourist activity.

Research projects / interests:

• Landscape perception
• Human Impact Assessment
• Adaptive management of protected natural areas

Areas of interest:

• Tourism
• Antarctic Treaty System
• Environmental Management
• Human Impacts
• Values & landscape
• Environmental education