Lucia Victoria Licero Villanueva

Lucia Victoria Licero Villanueva is a Research Associate in the Water Team at SEI Latin America, where she specializes in Marine and Coastal Resilience.

She expertly guides projects through their design, management, and pre-feasibility analysis, utilizing tools such as Nature-based Solutions (NbS) accounting, seascape approaches, and climate-smart livelihood strategies to promote resilient coastal planning. With over nine years of practical experience, her work focuses on the ecological restoration of mangroves, integrated coastal management, and applying resilience thinking to inform decision-making processes.

Lucia holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and an international MSc in Landscape Ecology and Nature Conservation, which she completed as a DAAD scholar at Greifswald University in Germany.

Lucia’s research interests focus on the dynamic relationship between science and society. She is particularly drawn to Citizen Science, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, biocultural restoration, and the exploration of blue finance mechanisms to enhance and scale resilience. Additionally, she utilizes remote sensing and artificial intelligence tools for improved monitoring and management. Fundamentally, Lucia is passionate about connecting scientific insights with community engagement and advocating for collaborative solutions to ensure the long-term resilience of coastal ecosystems.