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

Résultats de recherche: Article › Revue par des pairs

2 Citations (Scopus)

6 Téléchargements (Pure)

Résumé

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.

langue originale	English
Numéro d'article	e19804
Nombre de pages	29
journal	PeerJ
Volume	13
Les DOIs	https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.19804
état	Published - 5 août 2025

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10.7717/peerj.19804License: CC BY

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

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

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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 - Zammit, Timothy

AU - Terribile, Kimberly

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KW - coastal research

KW - conservation planning

KW - generalized additive model (GAM)

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

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