States are required to monitor and protect plants and animals listed as European Protected Species. However, species data are often ad hoc and vary considerably in their quality and coverage. In these cases, species distribution models can be applied to obtain useful estimates from the limited data available.
read moreWhen local planning authorities are planning a new development, they must consider whether it will affect a Special Protected Area (SPA) and how it could impact visitor numbers. Using data collected by visitor surveys, it is possible to model SPA visitor rates, identify the key drivers and predict how the rate may change for different scenarios.
read moreThe electricity network is susceptible to power outages caused by weather such as severe winds, lightning and snow. In addition to the short-term implications, network operators must consider the long-term implications of climate change. This study uses future projections of climate to model how weather faults may change over time.
read morePopulation or community ecology is the study of how population sizes change as species interact both with each other and with their environment through time. Individual based models (IBMs) can be used to model these complex systems that often arise in ecology.
read moreEstimating population sizes for wild animals and how they are changing is critical for the conservation of biodiversity. The difficulty is that it's often impossible to physically count them. Data from capture-recapture methods can be used with a statistical model to estimate population sizes and, by including environmental information, it is possible to understand what factors influence changes in population.
read moreWhen planners are developing coastal flood defences, they have to consider to what height they should build a sea wall so that the probability of flooding over a pre-specified future period is sufficiently small. Reliable estimates can be obtained using a statistical model that incorporates all the processes that affect extreme sea-levels.
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