MPA Europe is a Horizon Europe Project that aims to map the optimal locations for Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in European seas. Using a holistic range of measures that include the range of biodiversity from species to ecosystems, including habitats, areas will be prioritised using systematic conservation planning software. This enables alternative weighting of variables and multiple scenarios and thus support wider marine spatial planning.
MPA Europe is launching a call for expressions of interest seeking marine taxonomists and ecologists willing to participate in a collaborative effort to validate Species Distribution Models (SDMs). The first version of the models are available at MPA Europe map platform.
Participants will be invited to attend a 2-hour webinar in the first week of May 2025 that will provide detailed information on the model validation process. Thereafter, they will have two months to complete the SDM model validations (end of June 2025), and the contribution to this effort will be recognised through acknowledgement as an Expert Reviewer on the MPA Europe map platform and as a coauthor in a potential technical paper on collaborative model validation.
For those interested, please complete the Google Form here by 21st of April 2025.
