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

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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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.

Original language	English
Article number	e19804
Number of pages	29
Journal	PeerJ
Volume	13
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.19804
Publication status	Published - 5 Aug 2025

Keywords

citizen science
coastal research
conservation planning
generalized additive model (GAM)
habitat suitability modeling
maximum entropy (MaxEnt)
species distribution model
tursiops truncatus

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.7717/peerj.19804Licence: CC BY

Harnessing citizen science for marine science for marine conservation in Malta
© 2025 Soster et al.
Licence: CC BY

https://peerj.com/articles/19804Licence: CC BY

Cite this

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

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.",

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AU - Terribile, Kimberly

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KW - conservation planning

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KW - habitat suitability modeling

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