Manuel Lago

Manuel Lago

PhD (Environmental Economics)
MSc (Ecological Economics)

Senior Policy Advisor

Team

Dr. Manuel Lago is a Senior Policy Advisor at Ecologic Institute and Senior Expert and Project Manager at EnviroNexus S.L. in Spain. He is an environmental economist with more than 20 years of experience in environmental policy analysis and applied research across Europe.

His work focuses on the economic assessment of environmental policies and regulations, with particular expertise in water, marine and biodiversity policy, the economics of climate adaptation, ecosystem restoration, economic policy instruments and financing solutions. He combines economic analysis with policy evaluation to support the design and implementation of effective and evidence-based environmental policies and strategies.

Dr. Lago has coordinated and delivered projects for European institutions, international organisations and public authorities, including the European Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Environment Agency (EEA), the OECD and national governments. He has held leadership roles across European Framework Programme and Horizon projects, including as project coordinator of AQUACROSS, a Horizon 2020 initiative involving 16 international partners that advanced the application of ecosystem-based management across freshwater, coastal and marine policy domains to support aquatic biodiversity protection. He has also led multidisciplinary teams and work packages on environmental economics, ecosystem services, climate adaptation, sustainable finance and nature-based solutions. His recent work includes serving as Technical Coordinator and Senior Expert for the EU Water Sector Investment Needs and Gaps Assessment for the EIB/EC DG ENV. This project supports the implementation of the EU Water Resilience Strategy through the assessment of investment needs, financing pathways and implementation barriers across the EU.

Before establishing EnviroNexus in 2025, Dr. Lago worked at Ecologic Institute from 2009 to 2025, where he served as Senior Fellow in the economics team. Earlier in his career, he held positions at the Scottish Government, the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, the Scottish Agricultural College and Queen’s University Belfast.

Dr. Lago has authored more than 80 publications, including reports, books, book chapters and peer-reviewed articles. He regularly contributes to scientific evaluation and policy processes as a reviewer, lecturer and expert evaluator for European and international research and funding programmes. He holds a PhD in Environmental Economics and an MSc in Ecological Economics from the University of Edinburgh.

Recent content by Manuel Lago

Publication:Report
 
"RESTORE4Cs Restoring Coastal Wetlands in Europe – Implementation Roadmap to Guide National Action" is a practical guidance document, designed to support national authorities and stakeholders in developing or strengthening strategies for coastal wetland restoration, helping countries meet these and other related obligations. The Implementation Roadmap builds on the latest scientific knowledge and integrates key RESTORE4Cs findings, tools and methodologies into a coherent decision-support framework.

Restoring Coastal Wetlands in Europe

Implementation Roadmap to Guide National Action

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Publication:Report
 
Europe's agricultural sector holds tremendous potential to advance climate and environmental goals, but realizing that potential depends on the right mix of funding and targeted support. A new report led by Ecologic Institute, together with partners in the Climate Farm Demo (CFD) project, introduces a framework to better understand and navigate the wide variety of rewarding mechanisms that encourage farmers to adopt climate-smart practices.

Incentivizing Farm-level Climate Action through Rewarding Mechanisms

A categorization framework

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Event:Workshop
 
On 6 March 2025, the 4th EU Blue Parks Community Workshop convened in Brussels as part of the European Ocean Days, bringing together marine conservation experts including researchers, policymakers, MPA managers, conservation practitioners, and other stakeholders to discuss the transition towards 10% strict protection in European seas. The workshop was co-organized by Ecologic Institute as part of its role in the Mission Ocean & Waters Implementation Support Platform, supporting the EU’s ambition to restore ocean health and strengthen marine protection.

4th EU Blue Parks Community Workshop

Strict protection in European seas: how it helps people and nature


Brussels, Belgium

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Publication:Report
 
Restoring Europe’s freshwater ecosystems at the scale required by EU policy will require a broader mix of funding sources. The MERLIN Deliverable “Diversifying Funding for Freshwater Restoration using Nature-Based Solutions” examines how restoration teams across Europe are exploring new funding models and partnerships.

Diversifying Funding for Freshwater Restoration Using Nature-Based Solutions

Lessons from the MERLIN project

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Publication:Report
 
Cover of the PONDERFUL project report titled *Deliverable D1.6: Overcoming barriers to pondscape NBS – A synthesis and final PONDERFUL Framework*. The cover features the Ponderful logo, images of ponds, wetland plants, and a researcher working in a pond. The tagline reads: *Pond Ecosystems for Resilient Future Landscapes in a Changing Climate*. The project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program.
The report, "Overcoming policy, financial, social, and economic barriers to pondscape NBS for climate change mitigation and adaptation", has been released as part of the PONDERFUL project. Commissioned under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, this synthesis report refines and presents the final PONDERFUL framework – a comprehensive strategy for scaling up pondscapes as effective nature-based solutions (NbS).

Overcoming Barriers to Pondscape Nature-Based Solutions

Key Insights from PONDERFUL

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Presentation:Speech
 
Cover slide of the presentation titled "Financing ponds and pondscapes as nature-based solutions." Presented by Hugh McDonald, Manuel Lago, Levin Scholl, Isabel Seeger.
At the International Pond Conference 2024, which took place online from 12 to 13 November 2024, Hugh McDonald from the Ecologic Institute in Berlin presented the results of a comprehensive study on the financing of ponds and pond landscapes as nature-based solutions (NbS). The work analyzed public and private financing models and assessed their suitability for the implementation of pondscapes, and for financing NbS more broadly.

Financing Ponds and Pondscapes as Nature-based Solutions


Hugh McDonald

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Presentation:Speech
 
Cover slide of the presentation titled "Creating a National Plan for Ponds: Recommendations from the PONDERFUL Programme." The background image shows a tranquil landscape featuring shallow ponds surrounded by grassy fields and scattered trees under a blue sky with light clouds. The title and subtitle are written in white text, with authors Jeremy Biggs and Hugh McDonald listed below, along with their affiliations: Freshwater Habitats Trust, UK, and Ecologic Institute, Germany.
On 8 November 2024, the final webinar of the EU project PONDERFUL took place. Led by Professor Jeremy Biggs (Freshwater Habitats Trust) and Hugh McDonald (Ecologic Institute), it discussed how national and regional plans can be developed to protect, restore and create ponds and ponded landscapes. The aim was to inform policymakers on how these small but effective ecosystems can be used as nature-based solutions (NbS) to adapt to and mitigate climate change.

Creating a National Plan for Ponds


Hugh McDonald

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Publication:Report
 
Cover of the UNITED Deliverable 1.3: Business Analysis of United Pilots dated March 2022.
The UNITED project report "Business Analysis of UNITED Pilots" provides a detailed business analysis of the various pilot projects. This analysis includes an assessment of the economic viability, SWOT and PESTEL analyses as well as a review of the financial aspects of the projects. The aim of the report is to assess the financial attractiveness and feasibility of multi-use concepts in European marine areas, with a particular focus on the synergies and challenges arising from the combination of different maritime activities.

Business Analysis of United Pilots

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