Dr. sc. Sanja Matić-Skoko

Curriculum Vitae: Sanja Matić-Skoko is currently working as a scientific advisor with tenure at the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split, Croatia. She received her PhD degree in Biology from the Faculty of Science at the University of Zagreb. Her scientific work focuses on fish ecology and habitat restauration and conservation, including age and growth, population and community structure, connectivity between population, reproduction, feeding and trophic relations of fish, as well as sustainable small-scale fisheries management and conservation based on ecological principles.

As an author or co-author she published over 100 scientific and professional papers, and 82 of which are in journals indexed in Web of Science. She attended several scientific trainings at international research institutions. She was a principal investigator of 3 research projects, 1 IPA ADRION and number of international and national expert projects. Currently she is the lead of the CSF research project “Linking nursery ecological role and trophic pathways with fish population dynamics and diversity” – NurseFish.



Importance of nursery habitats: Addressing threats and challenges

Seagrass, wetlands, and salt marsh ecosystems are increasingly recognized as important Mediterranean nursery grounds due to the range of ecosystem services they provide. These services include carbon sequestration, coastal protection, nutrient run-off filtration, sustaining biodiversity, and providing habitat and food for various fish and invertebrate species.

However, these ecosystems are heavily impacted by climate change, fisheries, coastal development, eutrophication and invasive species. Anthropogenic stressors contribute to: (1) habitat degradation and loss due to coastal development and destructive practices; (2) sedimentation and pollution from terrestrial runoff; (3) direct exploitation by fisheries which final result in the ecosystem services and biodiversity reduction.

The requirements for nursery identification are numerous and complex, necessitating interdisciplinary scientific approaches and methods to determine all the ecological services that such areas provide, including those already lost due to degradation.

Ecosystem services refer to the variety of benefits that humans derive from ecosystems. The ecological values of ecosystem services often stem from ecosystem functions (e.g., habitat provision for fisheries, carbon and nutrient cycling) that incorporate integral biological components of ecosystems. Valorising nursery areas is necessary for the creation of management and protection strategies. Conservation and restoration aim to protect not only specific species and habitats but also the functions of ecosystems that are important for the social, cultural, and economic well-being of coastal region societies.