Standards for distribution models in biodiversity assessments

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Conservation Biology
• Biodiversity Science

Background:

• The demand for robust models in biodiversity assessments is increasing.
• Evaluating the adequacy of species distribution models (SDMs) for these assessments is critical.
• Existing SDMs may not consistently meet the rigorous standards required for biodiversity assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose best-practice standards and guidelines for scoring SDM studies.
• To assess the adequacy of SDMs used in biodiversity assessments over the past two decades.
• To identify trends in the quality of SDMs and their components.

Main Methods:

• Developed a set of best-practice standards and detailed guidelines for evaluating SDMs.
• Reviewed and scored 400 SDM studies published in the last 20 years.
• Analyzed trends in model building, biological data, and model evaluation.

Main Results:

• Overall model adequacy for biodiversity assessments was found to be low.
• A significant improvement in model building quality was observed over time.
• Moderate improvements were noted in the quality of biological data and model evaluation.

Conclusions:

• Implementing agreed-upon standards for SDMs will enhance transparency and repeatability.
• Higher quality models and inferences are achievable through standardization.
• Community participation is encouraged for the ongoing development of SDM standards.