Conclusion: An Attempt to Describe the State of Habitat and Species Modeling Today

Abstract

We set out to deliver a book that would prompt increased attention to the ecological theory and assess the relevant assumptions that underlie predictive landscape-scale species and habitat modeling. We invited international authors who are actively engaged in advancing the discipline of predictive modeling in landscape ecology to provide chapters that would not only highlight current developments and identify outstanding gaps, but which would also reflect on how methodological choices were informed by ecological theory. In this manner, we have provided readers not with a “how-to” guide that will rapidly become outdated as methods advance, but rather insights into the thought processes, reasoning, and current debates that are common across modeling projects and methods. Such extended reflections help to show multiple viewpoints and stimulate new ideas; they rarely find space in published research manuscripts. However, we believe these will offer valuable guidance to both novice and advanced modelers seeking to discern trade-offs between alternative modeling approaches.