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Ocean Biodiversity Information System (Horizon Europe and UK Research and Innovation)

MPA Europe species distribution maps platform

Species Distribution Models (SDMs) provide valuable information for both research and conservation. By combining species occurrence records with environmental variables, they estimate the environmental suitability for a species across space and time, allowing users to explore present-day distributions as well as potential changes under future climate scenarios. SDMs can support a wide range of applications, including identifying biodiversity hotspots, guiding conservation planning, assessing climate change impacts, and prioritizing areas for monitoring and management. It is important to note, however, that SDMs represent habitat suitability rather than confirmed species presence, and their predictions should be interpreted in the context of the underlying data and model uncertainty.

Open tool

What you can do with it

Input

  • Select marine species of interest.
  • Explore present and future species-distribution models.
  • Compare habitat suitability across locations and scenarios.

Output

  • Species-distribution maps.
  • Habitat-suitability visualisations.
  • Present and future projections of species distributions.

Use it to

  • Identify biodiversity hotspots.
  • Explore climate-related changes in species distributions.
  • Support marine conservation and spatial planning.
  • Inform monitoring and management priorities.

Why is it relevant to climate adaptation

Helps users understand how marine species distributions may change under future climate conditions. By linking biodiversity observations with environmental drivers, it supports forward-looking conservation and marine planning while helping identify areas where climate change may affect species and ecosystems.

Used in

  • Marine spatial planning and conservation.
  • Biodiversity assessments in European seas.
  • Species-distribution modelling using OBIS and GBIF data.
  • Identification of areas requiring monitoring and management under climate change.

Metadata

User Group
Commission services and/or AgenciesNational authoritiesBusinesses/consultants
Geographic coverage
Global
Spatial resolution

0.05 degrees (approximately 5km)

Support of Adaptation Policy Cycle
Step 1: Preparing the Ground for Adaptation
Step 2: Assessing Climate Change Risks and Vulnerabilities
Adaptation sectors
BiodiversityMarine and Fisheries
Climate hazards
Non hazard-specific
Type of outputs
Maps and graphs
Temporality of data
PresentForward-looking
Language
English
Accessibility and usability
Moderate
Data sources
Public datasets from external providersProject-generated or processed datasetsMixed sources
Tool validation use
Expert validation / reputable institution

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This translation is generated by eTranslation, a machine translation tool provided by the European Commission.

Exclusion of liability
This translation is generated by eTranslation, a machine translation tool provided by the European Commission.