Predicting species occurrences : issues of accuracy and scale

Predictions about where different species are, where they are not, and how they move across a landscape or respond to human activities - if timber is harvested, for instance, or stream flow altered - are important aspects of the work of wildlife biologists, land managers and the agencies and policymakers that govern natural resources. Despite the increased use and importance of model predictions, these predictions are seldom tested and have unknown levels of accuracy. Predicting Species Occurrences addresses those concerns, highlighting for managers and researchers the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches, as well as the magnitude of the research required to improve or test predictions of currently…