Harnessing citizen science for marine conservation in Malta:: a comparative analysis of GAM and MaxEnt models in bottlenose dolphin habitat mapping

Francesca Soster; Tim Awbery; Nina Vérité–Taulet; Timothy Zammit; Kimberly Terribile

doi:10.7717/peerj.19804

Harnessing citizen science for marine conservation in Malta: a comparative analysis of GAM and MaxEnt models in bottlenose dolphin habitat mapping

Francesca Soster
, Tim Awbery
, Nina Vérité–Taulet
, Timothy Zammit
, Kimberly Terribile

SAMS UHI

Publikation: Article › Begutachtung

2 Zitate (Scopus)

6 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Species distribution models (SDMs) are powerful tools for informing conservation, particularly for highly mobile marine species such as common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). In Maltese waters, the limited availability of data on this species has constrained the effectiveness of conservation efforts. Despite the designation of offshore Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), key coastal regions need more detailed spatial studies to support evidence-based management.

Originalsprache	English
Aufsatznummer	e19804
Seitenumfang	29
Fachzeitschrift	PeerJ
Jahrgang	13
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.19804
Publikationsstatus	Published - 5 Aug. 2025

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10.7717/peerj.19804Lizenz: CC BY

Harnessing citizen science for marine science for marine conservation in Malta
© 2025 Soster et al.
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https://peerj.com/articles/19804Lizenz: CC BY

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AU - Zammit, Timothy

AU - Terribile, Kimberly

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KW - conservation planning

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KW - habitat suitability modeling

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Harnessing citizen science for marine conservation in Malta: a comparative analysis of GAM and MaxEnt models in bottlenose dolphin habitat mapping

Abstract

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