Wednesday, July 8, 2026

4:30 PM - 6:00 PM

Room BE.0.17

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Details

As conservation challenges intensify under accelerating global change, managers and researchers increasingly rely on models capable of capturing the complex, spatially structured processes that shape species’ responses to environmental pressures. Spatially explicit individual-based models (IBMs) offer a powerful framework for representing fine-scale behaviours, movement, demography, interactions and habitat use at scales relevant to management decisions. These models allow users to link individual life histories with dynamic landscapes, making it possible to explore how species may respond to alternative scenarios ranging from habitat loss and fragmentation to climate-driven shifts in resources or disturbance regimes. By explicitly incorporating spatial heterogeneity, IBMs can reveal patterns and mechanisms that may be obscured in simpler or more aggregated modelling approaches. Presentations will demonstrate how spatially explicit IBMs can help evaluate the effectiveness of proposed interventions, identify habitats or populations at risk, and explore trade-offs among management options. We aim at gathering different examples of IBM applications across taxa and systems, to pinpoint challenges and opportunities in conservation. Together, these case studies will reflect the diversity of questions IBMs can support, from assessing connectivity and restoration outcomes to anticipating future population trajectories under changing environmental conditions. By highlighting applications that inform real conservation planning, this symposium aims to clarify the strengths and limitations of spatially explicit IBMs and encourage thoughtful, transparent use of these tools. Thus, showing how IBMs can support conservation strategies that are more responsive to species’ ecological needs and to the spatially structured challenges they face.

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Speakers and Presentation Titles

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Organiser