Spatial analysis has become a central practice in the field of conservation, allowing scientists to model and explore geographic questions on biodiversity and ecological systems. GIS (Geographic Information System) is an important integrative tool for mapping, analyzing, and creating data for spatial analyses. In this exercise, students use QGIS, an open-source GIS program, to model suitable habitat for a cryptic mammal species. The exercise guides students through the process of: 1) organizing, cleaning, and clipping vector and raster data within QGIS; 2) analyzing climate, habitat, and additional geographic data along with species occurrence data; and 3) developing a map of suitable projected habitat for the species of interest. Students then apply their analyses to critically consider the implications for surveying and conservation action.
Featured in: Lessons in Conservation: Conservation and Technology Issue
See also:
Applications of Remote Sensing to Ecological Modeling
Biogeography in Conservation
Theme: Conservation Tools
Language: English
Region: Global
Keywords: data analysis, modeling, spatially explicit data, tools
Components: 4
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Author: QGIS
Developed by QGIS, this guide provides helpful background on some of the concepts of GIS introduced in this exercise, and goes into greater depth beyond the scope of this exercise.
Usage License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license (CC BY-SA)
Author: P. Galante, K. Hade, S.J. Siller, N. Gazit, S.K. Macey
Treelop data set (zip file) that accompanies the above exercise Modeling Suitable Habitat for a Species of Conservation Concern: An Introduction to Spatial Analysis with QGIS.
Author: P. Galante, K. Hade, S.J. Siller, N. Gazit, S.K. Macey
Any chance there is another option for accessing the mean temp WorldClim data for NYS? The dataset is no longer available. thanks, DanielleDanielle Garneau, 1/26/2021
Thanks for your question, Danielle. The data are provided in the downloadable "Tree Data Set" above, and the file name is NY_regional_bio_1.tif -- Table 1 in the exercise explains where we got these data originally. If you wanted WorldClim data beyond what is needed for the exercise, you can go to WorldClim.org and click on "Historical climate data."Suzanne Macey, 2/2/2021
