Dr Mario V. Balzan is a Senior Lecturer at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), Founder and Managing Director at Ecostack Innovations, and the Coordinator of the Horizon 2020 project ReNature which aims to promote research and innovation excellence in nature-based solutions in Malta and the Mediterranean region. Dr Balzan currently participates in multiple Horizon Europe funded projects on biodiversity monitoring and nature-based solutions. He has over the past decade acted as scientific expert for the European Commission in projects that assess and model biodiversity and ecosystem services, coordinated a regional assessment on the current state of ecosystems and the risks associated with climatic and environmental change in the Mediterranean, and acted as scientific expert on several environmental issues and sustainable development topics. Dr Balzan has read for a PhD and Master degrees in agroecology and environmental management and has held various visiting scientific and academic positions in education, natural sciences and environmental management in Malta, Italy, Belgium and the United Kingdom.