Marin Cvitanovic

Dr Marin Cvitanovic

  • Principal Academic In Human Geography
  • Christchurch House C212, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, BH12 5BB
UN SDGs:
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Biography

I am a geographer specialising in socio-environmental systems. I am particularly interested in the relationship between different social, cultural and demographic factors on one side and environmental change on the other, especially when it comes to how we use land and the benefits we get from nature in the form of (cultural) ecosystem services.

I typically use anything from qualitative and quantitative household surveys to GIS to tackle such questions. My work is rooted in geography, but my interests extend to environmental history, biology, cultural studies, social psychology and political science. By understanding these connections between humans and their environment, we can work towards creating a more sustainable future for everyone.

So far, my research has:

- Addressed the issues of post-socialist landscape transformation in Eastern Europe which led to the loss of permanent grasslands (hotspots of biodiversity) and created more fire-prone landscapes

- Analysed the human drivers of mangrove changes in East Africa and the ecosystem services they provide to local communities...

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Favourites

  • Hamza, A.J., Esteves, L.S., Cvitanović, M. and Kairo, J.G., 2023. Sustainable natural resource management must recognise community diversity. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, 30 (7), 727-744.
  • Jajtić, K., Galijan, V., Žafran, I. and Cvitanović, M., 2019. Analysing wildfire occurrence through a mixed-method approach: A case study from the croatian mediterranean. Erdkunde, 73 (4), 323-341.
  • Cvitanović, M., Lučev, I., Fürst-Bjeliš, B., Borčić, L.S., Horvat, S. and Valožić, L., 2017. Analyzing post-socialist grassland conversion in a traditional agricultural landscape – Case study Croatia. Journal of Rural Studies, 51, 53-63.
  • Slavuj Borčić, L., Cvitanović, M. and Lukić, A., 2016. Cultivating alternative spaces – Zagreb's community gardens in transition: From socialist to post-socialist perspective. Geoforum, 77, 51-60.
  • Cvitanovic, M., Blackburn, G.A. and Jepsen, M.R., 2016. Characteristics and drivers of forest cover change in the post-socialist era in Croatia: evidence from a mixed-methods approach. REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, 16 (6), 1751-1763.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person's work contributes towards the following SDGs:

Reduced inequalities

"Reduce inequality within and among countries"

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Sustainable cities and communities

"Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable"

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Life on land

"Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss"

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Journal Articles

  • Olley, J., Cvitanovic, M., Ginige, T. and Bunt-MacRury, L., 2024. A systematic literature review of sustainable water management in South Africa. Sustainable Water Resources Management, 10 (5).
  • Hamza, A., Esteves, L., Cvitanovic, M. and Kairo, J., 2024. Global Patterns of Mangrove Resource Utilisation: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Sustainable Resource Management.
  • Boakes, Z., Stafford, R., Bramer, I., Cvitanović, M. and Hardouin, E.A., 2024. The importance of urban areas in supporting vulnerable and endangered mammals. Urban Ecosystems, 27 (3), 883-894.
  • Hardouin, E.A., Andreou, D. et al., 2024. Population genetics and demography of the endemic mouse species of Cyprus, Mus cypriacus. Mammalian Biology, 104 (3), 311-322.
  • Boakes, Z., Mahyuni, L.P., Hall, A.E., Cvitanovic, M. and Stafford, R., 2023. Can Coral Reef Restoration Programmes Facilitate Changes in Environmental Attitudes? A Case Study on a Rural Fisher Community in North Bali, Indonesia. Human Ecology, 51 (5), 891-905.
  • Hamza, A.J., Esteves, L.S., Cvitanović, M. and Kairo, J.G., 2023. Sustainable natural resource management must recognise community diversity. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, 30 (7), 727-744.
  • Hamza, A.J., Esteves, L.S. and Cvitanović, M., 2022. Changes in Mangrove Cover and Exposure to Coastal Hazards in Kenya. Land, 11 (10).
  • Lukić, A., Radeljak Kaufmann, P., Valožić, L., Zupanc, I., Cvitanović, M., Pejnović, D. and Žilić, I., 2022. CROATIAN RURAL FUTURES IN 2030: FOUR ALTERNATIVE SCENARIOS FOR POSTSOCIALIST COUNTRYSIDE IN THE NEWEST E.U. MEMBER STATE. Geographical Review, 112 (3), 332-352.
  • Cvitanović, M., Lončar, J. and Braičić, Z., 2022. “THERE IS A FEELING THAT YOUR CULTURE IS WORTH LESS” – A COMPARISON OF BRITISH AND CROATIAN STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES towards GLOBALISATION. Mitteilungen der Osterreichischen Geographischen Gesellschaft, 164, 337-360.
  • Hardouin, E.A., Butler, H., Cvitanović, M., Ulrich, R.G., Schulze, V., Schilling, A.K., Lurz, P.W.W., Meredith, A. and Hodder, K.H., 2021. Wildlife conservation in a fragmented landscape: the Eurasian red squirrel on the Isle of Wight. Conservation Genetics, 22 (4), 571-583.
  • Hamza, A.J., Esteves, L.S., Cvitanovic, M. and Kairo, J., 2020. Past and Present Utilization of Mangrove Resources in Eastern Africa and Drivers of Change. Journal of Coastal Research, 95 (sp1), 39-44.
  • Jajtic, K., Galijan, V., Zafran, I. and Cvitanovic, M., 2019. Analysing wildfire occurrence through a mixed-method approach: a case study from the Croatian Mediterranean. Erdkunde, 73 (4), 323-341.
  • Faivre, S., Galović, L., Sümegi, P., Cvitanović, M., Náfrádi, K. and Horvatinčić, N., 2019. Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Milna valley on the island of Vis (Central Adriatic) during the late Holocene. Quaternary International, 510, 1-17.
  • Jajtić, K., Galijan, V., Žafran, I. and Cvitanović, M., 2019. Analysing wildfire occurrence through a mixed-method approach: A case study from the croatian mediterranean. Erdkunde, 73 (4), 323-341.
  • Cvitanović, M., Lučev, I., Fürst-Bjeliš, B., Borčić, L.S., Horvat, S. and Valožić, L., 2017. Analyzing post-socialist grassland conversion in a traditional agricultural landscape – Case study Croatia. Journal of Rural Studies, 51, 53-63.
  • Pavlek, K., Bišćević, F., Furčić, P., Grđan, A., Gugić, V., Malešić, N., Moharić, P., Vragović, V., Fuerst-Bjeliš, B. and Cvitanović, M., 2017. Spatial patterns and drivers of fire occurrence in a Mediterranean environment: a case study of southern Croatia. Geografisk Tidsskrift - Danish Journal of Geography, 117 (1), 22-35.
  • Slavuj Borčić, L., Cvitanović, M. and Lukić, A., 2016. Cultivating alternative spaces – Zagreb's community gardens in transition: From socialist to post-socialist perspective. Geoforum, 77, 51-60.
  • Cvitanovic, M., Blackburn, G.A. and Jepsen, M.R., 2016. Characteristics and drivers of forest cover change in the post-socialist era in Croatia: evidence from a mixed-methods approach. REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, 16 (6), 1751-1763.
  • Cvitanović, M., 2014. Land-use and land-cover changes in the Krapina-Zagorje county from 1991 to 2011. Hrvatski Geografski Glasnik, 76 (1), 41-60.
  • Lončar, J. and Cvitanović, M., 2013. Post-socialism and Environment: Change of cultural landscape in the Drava Valley and Osijek in the Last 50 Years. Sociologija i Prostor, 50 (3), 327-343.
  • Valožić, L. and Cvitanović, M., 2011. Mapping the forest change: Using landsat imagery in forest transition analysis within the Medvednica protected area. Hrvatski Geografski Glasnik, 73 (1), 245-255.
  • Cvitanovic, M., 2009. (Re)constructing Balkan identities through popular music. Migracijske i Etniĉke Teme, 25 (4).

Chapters

  • Blaće, A., Cvitanović, M., Čuka, A. and Faričić, J., 2024. Land Use/Land Cover Changes on Croatian Islands Since the Beginning of the Twentieth Century—Drivers and Consequences. Environmental History (Netherlands). 141-165.
  • Tekić, I., Fuerst-Bjeliš, B., Durbešić, A., Radeljak Kaufmann, P. and Cvitanović, M., 2024. Landscape Change and Fire Risk in the Croatian Dinaric Karst: Looking Back and Moving Forward. Environmental History (Netherlands). 109-139.
  • Cvitanović, M. and Fuerst-Bjeliš, B., 2018. Marginalization Between Border and Metropolis: Drivers of Socio-Spatial Change in Post-socialist Croatia. Perspectives on Geographical Marginality. 313-327.

PhD Students

  • Jack Olley, (In progress)
  • James Jackson, (In progress)
  • Amina Juma Hamza, (Completed)

Profile of Teaching UG

  • Human Geography
  • Urban Social Geography
  • International Field Trip

Invited Lectures

  • University of Porto, 01 Jan 2015 more
  • Geographical Colloquium of the University of Graz, 01 Jan 2013 more

Journal Reviewing/Refereeing

  • Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Anonymous peer review, 31 Mar 2022
  • Landscape Research, Anonymous peer review, 02 Feb 2021
  • Human Ecology, Anonymous peer review, 30 Apr 2020
  • International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Anonymous peer review, 04 Aug 2019
  • Land, Anonymous peer review, 24 Jan 2018
  • Sustainability, Anonymous peer review, 11 May 2017
  • Applied geography, Anonymous peer review, 17 Jan 2017
  • Hrvatski Geografski Glasnik, Open peer review, 21 Dec 2016

Conference Presentations

  • Natures in between: Environments in areas of contact among states, economic systems, cultures and religions, Human-Environmental Interactions in Economic Transition – Case Study Croatia, 28 Jun 2017, Zagreb, Croatia
  • Natures in between: Environments in areas of contact among states, economic systems, cultures and religions, 2 ka paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the Milna valley on the Vis Island (Central Adriatic), 28 Jun 2017, Zagreb, Croatia

Qualifications

  • PhD in Geography (University of Zagreb, Croatia, 2014)
  • Master of Education in Geography (University of Zagreb, Croatia, 2007)

Memberships

  • Royal Geographical Society, Fellow (2018-),
  • Higher Education Academy, Fellow (2017-),