Novel models workshop: Exploring the frontiers of ecological modelling

ECO-LAND attended the Novel Model workshop, 6-10th June in Lisbon, Portugal. In this workshop, organised by DIVERSITAS, present frontiers in (ecological) modelling of biodiversity were identified.  The main objective of the workshop was to discuss the state of the art of methods currently applied to derive projections of global change impacts on biodiversity at different spatial scales.

DIVERSITAS is an international research programme aiming at integrating biodiversity science for human well-being. The workshop is included within the bioDISCOVERY core program, aimed at providing a framework to the scientific community to enable them to make breakthroughs in assessing, monitoring, understanding and predicting biodiversity change.

Work within this new initiative contributes to Focus 3 of the bioDISCOVERY scientific strategy. Improving future biodiversity predictions. Models can be used to integrate different levels and aspects of biodiversity, and interpolate observations across space, time and taxa. Models need to include new types of data (e.g. traits or functional types), and interactions between species to more accurately predict ecosystem responses to global change. Incorporation of biotic interactions into ecological models in particular is a challenge, and presents the frontier of modelling. Aim of this "brain storming" initiative is to facilitate the development of a new generation of models that combine both good representations of biodiversity and of ecosystem functioning.

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Seminari sobre nous models i biodiversitat

ECO-LAND assistirà a la reunió sobre nous models, els propers 6-10 de juny a Lisboa, Portugal. En aquest  seminari, organitzat per DIVERSITAS, s’examinaran les fronteres actuals de la modelització ecològica de la biodiversitat. També es discutiran nous camins que permetin modelitzar les xarxes ecològiques i que permetin integrar diferents tipus de models ecològics. Finalment, es pretenen desenvolupar estandards i protocols que permetin avançar en l’aplicació pràctica d’aquest tipus de modelització. 

DIVERSITAS és un programa de recerca internacional que pretèn integrar la recerca en biodiversitat per un major benestar humà. El present seminari s’inclou en un dels programes centrals de DIVERSITAS, bioDISCOVERY.http://www.diversitas-international.org/