Valentina’s research addresses several key areas of sustainable development: sustainable tourism, with particular focus on nature-based tourism and island tourism; nature protection and enhancement; renewable energy and energy efficiency in the context of climate change mitigation; and water management. In these areas she is particularly interested in policy and governance evaluation studies; behavioural approaches for policy instruments’ design; policy implementation processes, outputs and outcomes; conflict resolution mechanisms; investor perspectives with respect to green technologies and sustainability practices, and mechanisms of innovation adoption and diffusion; and the regulation and management of tourism and recreation in protected areas (particularly with respect to tourism concessions).