Julia Martin-Ortega is Senior Environmental Economist at The James Hutton Institute, Scotland. She has an interdisciplinary background in environmental sciences and economics, with an emphasis on environmental valuation and an increased interest in participatory approaches. Her research, focusing on the understanding of the relationships between people and water ecosystem services, has informed policy-making in relation to issues such as the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive and the development of the Water Resources (Scotland) Act.