2015 COURSE ON SPECIES DISTRIBUTIONS MODELLING

The new course on “Species distributions models: concepts, methods, applications, and challenges”, taking place between September 14 and 21, 2015 in Évora, Portugal, aims to introduce the fundamental concepts underpinning ecological niche models (ENM), describe the methods currently in use, and discuss the strengths and limitations of these models for different applications. The course gives equal weight to theory and application. The students will have the opportunity to learn how to run ENM with the new SDM R platform programmed by one of the instructors and they will be asked to bring their own data (if such data are not available we can provide our own data). During two mornings over the weekend the students will analyse these data and prepare a small report for discussion in the class.

Dates and logistics
The course will take place in the historical city of Évora, in Portugal, between 14th and the 21st of September 2015.

Application deadline

June 20, 2015

Course objectives
In the end of the course, our aim is that students will be equipped to:
1. Understand the theoretical underpinnings of ecological niche models
2. Understand the strengths and limitations of ecological niche models in the context of different uses
3. Be able to correctly design an ecological niche modelling study for a variety of uses of interest
4. Get started with ecological niche modelling using R.

For more information, including the full programme, click here, or contact us at cibioue@uevora.pt.