Fundamentals of Spatial Conservation Planning

The course will include the following topics:

• Foundations of value and priority setting in conservation.
• Compositional versus functionalist perspectives on biodiversity.
• Scoring, complementarity, and optimisation approaches to spatial prioritisation.
• Biodiversity hotspots, Gap Analysis, and related prioritisation schemes.
• Use of niche (species distribution) models, metapopulation theory, and persistence-focused design in conservation planning.
• Climate change and the concept of dynamic conservation planning, including climate refugia and shifting priorities.
• Beyond composition: rewilding, functional restoration, and process-based approaches to conservation planning.

By the end of the course, you will:

• Understand the main theoretical frameworks underlying spatial conservation planning.
• Be able to compare and critically assess alternative prioritisation approaches (scoring, complementarity, hotspots, Gap Analysis, etc.).
• Gain familiarity with how niche models, metapopulation concepts, and persistence criteria are used to design conservation networks.
• Be able to discuss how climate change and dynamic landscapes affect conservation priorities and planning strategies.
• Develop the capacity to critically evaluate published spatial conservation plans and to articulate their own prioritisation rationale.