Model Validation for Species Distribution and Ecological Niche Modelling (MVSDPR)
Learn how to validate species distribution and ecological niche models.
Duration: 4 hours
Format: Recorded ‘on-demand’ Format
£150Registration Fee
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5.0
from 200+ reviews
- Overview
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Course Description
How can we evaluate the performance and reliability of ecological niche models? This one-day course introduces the key concepts and practical approaches used to validate species distribution models (SDMs) and ecological niche models (ENMs). Model validation is a critical step in assessing predictive accuracy and ecological relevance, especially when models are used for conservation planning or forecasting under environmental change. Through practical examples in R, participants will gain hands-on experience in evaluating model performance and interpreting validation results.
What You’ll Learn
- The principles of model validation in species distribution and ecological niche modelling.
- Differences between internal and external validation approaches.
- How data partitioning strategies (e.g. cross-validation, spatial blocking) affect model evaluation.
- How to calculate and interpret common evaluation metrics (e.g. AUC, TSS, sensitivity, specificity).
- The strengths and limitations of different validation metrics and approaches.
- How to critically assess model performance and avoid common pitfalls.
Course Format
Flexible Learning Structure
Learn through a carefully structured mix of lecture recordings and guided exercises that you can pause, revisit, and complete at your own pace—ideal for busy professionals or those balancing multiple commitments.
Independent Exploration with Support
Engage deeply with course topics through self-directed study, with the option to reach out to instructors via email for clarification or deeper discussion.
Comprehensive Learning Resources
Gain full access to the same high-quality materials provided in live sessions, including code, datasets, and presentation slides—all available to download and keep. Please note recordings can only be streamed.
Work With Your Own Data, On Your Terms
Apply what you learn directly to your own data projects as you go, allowing for a personalized and immediately practical learning experience.
Continued Guidance and Resource Access
Receive 30 days of post-enrolment email support and unrestricted access to all session recordings during that time, so you can review and reinforce your learning as needed.
Who Should Attend / Intended Audiences
This course is intended for academics and postgraduate students working on ecological spatial data projects, as well as students and researchers in biogeography, spatial ecology, or related disciplines. Participants should have a basic familiarity with R and general ecological concepts. Previous experience with species distribution models is helpful but not required. All modelling and analysis will be performed using R, the free software environment for statistical computing and graphics.
Equipment and Software requirements
A laptop or desktop computer with a functioning installation of R and RStudio is required. Both R and RStudio are free, open-source programs compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux systems.
While not essential, using a large monitor—or ideally a dual-monitor setup—can significantly enhance your learning experience by allowing you to view course materials and work in R simultaneously.
All necessary R packages will be introduced and installed during the workshop.
Dr. Salvador Arenas-Castro
Salvador is a broad-spectrum ecologist whose work integrates fundamental ecology, macroecology, and biogeography with applied fields such as climate adaptation and land-use management. His interdisciplinary approach also spans agroecology, forestry, spatial ecology, and ecoinformatics. A key feature of his research is the explicit incorporation of spatial processes using spatially explicit modelling, GIS, and remote sensing techniques.
Salvador’s work seeks to bridge ecological theory with real-world applications, often through advanced spatial analysis and modelling tools. He is particularly interested in how large-scale ecological patterns respond to climate and landscape change, and how this understanding can inform more sustainable environmental management.
Education & Career
- Broad-spectrum ecologist with interests in ecology, macroecology, biogeography, and land-use
- Active researcher in agroecology, forestry, and spatial modelling
- Developer of spatially explicit models using GIS and remote sensing
- Research affiliations and academic output available via personal and professional pages
Research Focus
Salvador’s research addresses spatial dynamics of ecological systems, using integrative frameworks to study biodiversity, landscape structure, and environmental change. His work applies spatial modelling to understand and manage ecological complexity across scales.
Current Projects
- Spatial modelling of biodiversity responses to climate and land-use changes
- Applications of remote sensing in agroecology and forestry
- Ecoinformatics and GIS-based analysis of landscape-level ecological processes
Professional Consultancy
Salvador contributes expertise in spatial ecology and modelling to multi-disciplinary projects on sustainable land use and biodiversity management.
Teaching & Skills
- Specialises in GIS, remote sensing, spatial ecology, and modelling techniques
- Experienced in interdisciplinary approaches linking ecological research to practical land management
- Promotes integrative and spatially aware ecological analysis
Links
Session 1 – 02:00:00 – Foundations of Model Validation
Introduction to model evaluation in SDMs and ENMs. Why validation matters: predictive vs explanatory performance. Internal vs external validation approaches. Data partitioning strategies (random vs spatial). Demonstration: implementing validation workflows in R
Practical exercise: Splitting data and running validation
Session 2 – 02:00:00 – Metrics and Interpretation
Threshold-independent metrics (e.g. AUC). Threshold-dependent metrics (e.g. TSS, confusion matrix). Interpreting validation outputs and model performance. Comparing models and selecting the best-performing approach. Common pitfalls and best practices in model validation
Testimonials
PR Stats offers a great lineup of courses on statistical and analytical methods that are super relevant for ecologists and biologists. My lab and I have taken several of their courses—like Bayesian mixing models, time series analysis, and machine/deep learning—and we've found them very informative and directly useful for our work. I often recommend PR Stats to my students and colleagues as a great way to brush up on or learn new R-based statistical skills.
Rolando O. Santos
PhD Assistant Professor, Florida International University
Courses attended
SIMM05, IMDL03, ITSA02, GEEE01 and MOVE07
Testimonials
PR Stats provided excellent training in stable isotope analysis through the SIMMPR course, which was incredibly valuable for my research. I was fortunate to attend the course through a generous fee waiver, which directly supported my work and enabled me to develop skills that contributed to my recent publication on reservoir food webs in Sri Lanka. I’m very grateful for the opportunity and support, and would highly recommend their courses to others working in ecological research.
Subodha Silva
Aquatic Ecology Researcher
Courses attended
SIMMPR
Testimonials
PR Stats has become an invaluable part of developing my skills in advanced statistical and spatial analysis. Through training in areas such as Bayesian statistics and Species Distribution Modelling, I’ve gained both practical expertise and exposure to leading experts in the field. The impact on my research has been significant with at least four of my published papers have been directly influenced by PR Stats courses. My most recent work benefitted from modelling advice on sample design and model accuracy evaluation and can be seen here.
Carlos P.E. Bedson
Quantitative Spatial Ecology, Ecology and Environment Research Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom
Courses attended
ADVR08, ENMR03, BMIN02, ISBD01, BADA01, SDMB06
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about the product and billing.
When will I receive instructions on how to join?
You’ll receive an email on the Friday before the course begins, with full instructions on how to join via Zoom. Please ensure you have Zoom installed in advance.
Do I need administrator rights on my computer?
I’m attending the course live — will I also get access to the session recordings?
I can’t attend every live session — can I join some sessions live and catch up on others later?
I’m in a different time zone and plan to follow the course via recordings. When will these be available?
I can’t attend live — how can I ask questions?
Will I receive a certificate?
When will I receive instructions on how to join?
You’ll receive an email on the Friday before the course begins, with full instructions on how to join via Zoom. Please ensure you have Zoom installed in advance.
Do I need administrator rights on my computer?
I’m attending the course live — will I also get access to the session recordings?
I can’t attend every live session — can I join some sessions live and catch up on others later?
I’m in a different time zone and plan to follow the course via recordings. When will these be available?
I can’t attend live — how can I ask questions?
Will I receive a certificate?
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