Science Retreats organises  the 8th edition of the course “Species distributions models: concepts, methods, applications, and challenges”. 

This is a highly successful international course that introduces the fundamental concepts underpinning ecological niche models (ENM), describing some of the most prominent methods currently in use, and discussing the strengths and limitations of these models for different applications. 

The course gives equal weight to theory and application. The students will have the opportunity to learn how to run ENM with the SDM R platform (Naimi & Araújo 2016 Ecography) and they will be asked to bring their own data (if such data are not available we can provide our own data). During one day the students will analyse their data and prepare a small report for discussion in the class. 

The course started at the Imperial College London (2014) with the following editions undettaken in Évora (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021). It also builds on slightly shorter courses developed by Miguel Araújo at the University of Copenhagen and the Estación Biologica de Doñana (CSIC).

Course Objectives

In the end of the course, our aim is that students will be equipped to:

1. Understand the theoretical underpinnings of ecological niche models

2. Understand the strengths and limitations of ecological niche models in the context of different uses

3. Be able to correctly design an ecological niche modelling study for a variety of uses

4. Get started with ecological niche modelling using SDM R.

Course length and ECTS

The course is equivalent to 5,6 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System), assuming the rule of 10:1, which means that 1 course lesson (=1 hour) gives 0.1 ECTS credits, taking a preparation factor of 1.5. Participants who have completed the course will receive a certificate of participation at the end of it.

Requirements

Some experience in the computer language R is desirable, and experience with GIS is helpful. All participants must bring their own personal laptop.

Language

English

Participation

The course accepts a maximum of 20 students.

Fees and funding

The standard fees include full participation in the course and course material, provision of a certificate of attendance, half-board accommodation at Casa Morgado Esporão for up to 6 nights including breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks (offering assortment of coffees, teas, fruit juices and cookies). Although we encourage presential participation to the course (a full experience to the course includes on site interaction among students and lecturers), during the COVID pandemic requests were done by several students for online participation. This is now possible at a slightly reduced price. 

Unfortunately we have no scholarships on offer. We do offer a limited number of early bird discounts and shared accommodation is provided for those with more limited budgets. 

Cancelation policy

If you wish to cancel your participation in this course, cancellations up to 60 days before the course start date will incur a 40% cancellation fee. For later cancellations, or non-attendance, the full course fee will be charged.

In the unlikely event that the course is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, accepted candidates will either be entitled to a full refund of the course fee, or the fee can be credited toward a future course. Should the course be cancelled due to COVID-19 formal state of alarm, either in Portugal or your country of residence, the registration fee will be returned in full.

The organisation is not responsible for travel costs, or any other expenses incurred by the candidate as a result of such cancellation. Every effort will be made to avoid the cancellation of the planned course.

Logistics

The course fee include full participation in the course, provision of course material (including pdfs of all lectures, and R tutorials), the certificate of participation, half-board accommodation at Casa Morgado Esporão (from Monday 7th to Sunday 13th), as well as daily coffee breaks (offering assortment of coffees, teas, fruit juices and cookies).

Contacts

For any additional informations about the course, please contact us at "scienceretreats" "at" "gmail" "dot" "com".

The course fee include full participation in the course, provision of course material (including pdfs of all lectures, and R tutorials), the certificate of participation, half-board accommodation at Casa Morgado Esporão (from Monday 7th to Sunday), as well as daily coffee breaks (offering assortment of coffees, teas, fruit juices and cookies).

Course Tutors

Miguel Araújo is a Research Professor of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and  Professor at the University of Évora. Previously, he held faculty or research positions at the Imperial College London, the University of Copenhagen, the University of Oxford, the CNRS, and the Natural History Museum in London. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of Ecography. Miguel Araújo has a wide range of interests in biogeography, conservation planning, global change biology, and macroecology. 

Babak Naimi is a Research Associate at the University of Helsinki. His research interests revolve around spatiotemporal statistics, environmental modelling, and the interface between geo-informatics and biogeography. He is currently working on developing new methods for species distribution modelling under climate change and land use change scenarios to improve their ability for understanding ecological processes associated with the patterns in species distributions as well as to deal with the challenges in the methods.