Assessing habitat-suitability models with a virtual species

Models predicting species spatial distribution are increasingly applied to wildlife management issues, emphasising the need for reliable methods to evaluate the accuracy of their predictions. As many available datasets (e.g. museums, herbariums,…

Managers need new tools for detecting the movement and spread of non-native, invasive species. Habitat suitability models are a popular tool for mapping the potential distribution of current invaders, but the ability of these models to prioritize…

A fundamental step in conserving biodiversity is identification of quality habitat needed to sustain populations of target species. We used coarse scale environmental features (soil water holding capacity, soil texture, slope, elevation, and…

Detailed large-scale information on mammal distribution has often been lacking, hindering conservation efforts. We used the information from the 2009 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as a baseline for developing habitat suitability models for…

Habitat suitability is often used as a surrogate for demographic responses (i.e., abundance, survival, fecundity, or population viability) in the application of habitat suitability index (HSI) models. Whether habitat suitability actually relates to…

Resources for nature conservation initiatives are generally limited; therefore a spatially explicit targeting approach aimed at identifying the most viable sites has the potential to maximise conservation effectiveness. This research developed a…

Geographic information systems (GIS) and abundant landscape-level data, often from remote sensing sources, provide new opportunities for biologists to model and evaluate wildlife habitat quality. Models of habitat quality have not been developed for…

Ongoing loss of biodiversity requires identifying large-scale conservation priorities, but the detailed information on the distribution of species required for this purpose is often missing. We present a systematic reserve selection for 1223 African…

A fuzzy rule-based approach was applied to a macroinvertebrate habitat suitability modelling problem. The model design was based on a knowledge base summarising the preferences and tolerances of 86 macroinvertebrate species for four variables…

Models of habitat suitability in postfire landscapes are needed by land managers to make timely decisions regarding postfire timber harvest and other management activities. Many species of cavity-nesting birds are dependent on postfire landscapes…