Data gathering for Master thesis – Biogeography & conservation of mammals in the Mediterranean ecoregion

I am doing a master thesis focusing on conservation planning of terrestrial mammals within the Mediterranean Basin at the University of Stockholm, under the supervision of Prof. Anders Angerbjörn. Furthermore, I am currently working in the Global Mammal Assessment program (http://globalmammal.org/), which is a partner of the IUCN and which is led by Prof. Boitani and Dr. Rondinini (University La Sapienza of Rome). This group is in charge of assessing mammal extinction risks, refining distribution maps and forecast scenarios of mammal loss driven by global change. Prof. Stéphane Aulagnier is also collaborating on the project bringing his expertise of the Mediterranean ecoregion.

We have constructed both habitat suitability models (Rondinini et al. 2011) and species distribution models (Maiorano et al. 2011) for most of the mammalian species in the Mediterranean ecoregion. These models may be very useful to refine the species distribution ranges provided by the IUCN, and to inform conservation planning. My thesis specifically aims at comparing these two modeling approaches, and to investigate the extent by which their differences impact conservation planning within the Mediterranean Basin (evaluation of the current network of protected areas and suggestion of new areas).

Any contribution to our study will of course be acknowledged in our subsequent report and expected paper. We will also develop a webpage on our website for data providers. Furthermore, we do not publish any row data and can establish official conventions if necessary. Unfortunately, we have a tight research agenda, which constrains us to close the data gathering to start the analyses by mid- to end-January.

I hope to hear from you soon!

Best wishes,

Nathan Ranc