Limitations to the use of species-distribution models for environmental-impact assessments in the Amazon
Species-distribution models (SDM) are tools with potential to inform environmental-impact studies (EIA). However, they are not always appropriate and may result in improper and expensive mitigation and compensation if their limitations are not understood by decision makers. Here, we examine the use...
| Autor principal: | Carneiro, Lorena Ribeiro de A. |
|---|---|
| Outros Autores: | Lima, Albertina Pimental, Machado, Ricardo Bomfim, Magnusson, William Ernest |
| Grau: | Artigo |
| Idioma: | English |
| Publicado em: |
PLoS ONE
2020
|
| Assuntos: | |
| Acesso em linha: |
https://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/1/14692 |
| id |
oai:repositorio:1-14692 |
|---|---|
| recordtype |
dspace |
| spelling |
oai:repositorio:1-14692 Limitations to the use of species-distribution models for environmental-impact assessments in the Amazon Carneiro, Lorena Ribeiro de A. Lima, Albertina Pimental Machado, Ricardo Bomfim Magnusson, William Ernest Animals Experiment Animals Model Biodiversity Brasil Environmental Impact Assessment Licensing Model Nonhuman Sampling Species Distribution Target Organism Animals Biodiversity Demography Ecosystem Monitoring Electric Power Plant Environment Environmental Monitoring Environmental Protection Geography Human Organization And Management Procedures Risk Assessment River Standards Theoretical Model Animalss Biodiversity Brasil Conservation Of Natural Resources Demography Ecological Parameter Monitoring Environment Environmental Monitoring Geography Humans Models, Theoretical Planning Techniques Power Plants Risk Assessment Rivers Species-distribution models (SDM) are tools with potential to inform environmental-impact studies (EIA). However, they are not always appropriate and may result in improper and expensive mitigation and compensation if their limitations are not understood by decision makers. Here, we examine the use of SDM for frogs that were used in impact assessment using data obtained from the EIA of a hydroelectric project located in the Amazon Basin in Brazil. The results show that lack of knowledge of species distributions limits the appropriate use of SDM in the Amazon region for most target species. Because most of these targets are newly described and their distributions poorly known, data about their distributions are insufficient to be effectively used in SDM. Surveys that are mandatory for the EIA are often conducted only near the area under assessment, and so models must extrapolate well beyond the sampled area to inform decisions made at much larger spatial scales, such as defining areas to be used to offset the negative effects of the projects. Using distributions of better-known species in simulations, we show that geographical-extrapolations based on limited information of species ranges often lead to spurious results. We conclude that the use of SDM as evidence to support project-licensing decisions in the Amazon requires much greater area sampling for impact studies, or, alternatively, integrated and comparative survey strategies, to improve biodiversity sampling. When more detailed distribution information is unavailable, SDM will produce results that generate uncertain and untestable decisions regarding impact assessment. In many cases, SDM is unlikely to be better than the use of expert opinion. © 2016 Carneiro et al.This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. 2020-04-24T17:00:25Z 2020-04-24T17:00:25Z 2016 Artigo https://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/1/14692 10.1371/journal.pone.0146543 en Volume 11, Número 1 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Brazil http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/br/ application/pdf PLoS ONE |
| institution |
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - Repositório Institucional |
| collection |
INPA-RI |
| language |
English |
| topic |
Animals Experiment Animals Model Biodiversity Brasil Environmental Impact Assessment Licensing Model Nonhuman Sampling Species Distribution Target Organism Animals Biodiversity Demography Ecosystem Monitoring Electric Power Plant Environment Environmental Monitoring Environmental Protection Geography Human Organization And Management Procedures Risk Assessment River Standards Theoretical Model Animalss Biodiversity Brasil Conservation Of Natural Resources Demography Ecological Parameter Monitoring Environment Environmental Monitoring Geography Humans Models, Theoretical Planning Techniques Power Plants Risk Assessment Rivers |
| spellingShingle |
Animals Experiment Animals Model Biodiversity Brasil Environmental Impact Assessment Licensing Model Nonhuman Sampling Species Distribution Target Organism Animals Biodiversity Demography Ecosystem Monitoring Electric Power Plant Environment Environmental Monitoring Environmental Protection Geography Human Organization And Management Procedures Risk Assessment River Standards Theoretical Model Animalss Biodiversity Brasil Conservation Of Natural Resources Demography Ecological Parameter Monitoring Environment Environmental Monitoring Geography Humans Models, Theoretical Planning Techniques Power Plants Risk Assessment Rivers Carneiro, Lorena Ribeiro de A. Limitations to the use of species-distribution models for environmental-impact assessments in the Amazon |
| topic_facet |
Animals Experiment Animals Model Biodiversity Brasil Environmental Impact Assessment Licensing Model Nonhuman Sampling Species Distribution Target Organism Animals Biodiversity Demography Ecosystem Monitoring Electric Power Plant Environment Environmental Monitoring Environmental Protection Geography Human Organization And Management Procedures Risk Assessment River Standards Theoretical Model Animalss Biodiversity Brasil Conservation Of Natural Resources Demography Ecological Parameter Monitoring Environment Environmental Monitoring Geography Humans Models, Theoretical Planning Techniques Power Plants Risk Assessment Rivers |
| description |
Species-distribution models (SDM) are tools with potential to inform environmental-impact studies (EIA). However, they are not always appropriate and may result in improper and expensive mitigation and compensation if their limitations are not understood by decision makers. Here, we examine the use of SDM for frogs that were used in impact assessment using data obtained from the EIA of a hydroelectric project located in the Amazon Basin in Brazil. The results show that lack of knowledge of species distributions limits the appropriate use of SDM in the Amazon region for most target species. Because most of these targets are newly described and their distributions poorly known, data about their distributions are insufficient to be effectively used in SDM. Surveys that are mandatory for the EIA are often conducted only near the area under assessment, and so models must extrapolate well beyond the sampled area to inform decisions made at much larger spatial scales, such as defining areas to be used to offset the negative effects of the projects. Using distributions of better-known species in simulations, we show that geographical-extrapolations based on limited information of species ranges often lead to spurious results. We conclude that the use of SDM as evidence to support project-licensing decisions in the Amazon requires much greater area sampling for impact studies, or, alternatively, integrated and comparative survey strategies, to improve biodiversity sampling. When more detailed distribution information is unavailable, SDM will produce results that generate uncertain and untestable decisions regarding impact assessment. In many cases, SDM is unlikely to be better than the use of expert opinion. © 2016 Carneiro et al.This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
| format |
Artigo |
| author |
Carneiro, Lorena Ribeiro de A. |
| author2 |
Lima, Albertina Pimental Machado, Ricardo Bomfim Magnusson, William Ernest |
| author2Str |
Lima, Albertina Pimental Machado, Ricardo Bomfim Magnusson, William Ernest |
| title |
Limitations to the use of species-distribution models for environmental-impact assessments in the Amazon |
| title_short |
Limitations to the use of species-distribution models for environmental-impact assessments in the Amazon |
| title_full |
Limitations to the use of species-distribution models for environmental-impact assessments in the Amazon |
| title_fullStr |
Limitations to the use of species-distribution models for environmental-impact assessments in the Amazon |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Limitations to the use of species-distribution models for environmental-impact assessments in the Amazon |
| title_sort |
limitations to the use of species-distribution models for environmental-impact assessments in the amazon |
| publisher |
PLoS ONE |
| publishDate |
2020 |
| url |
https://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/1/14692 |
| _version_ |
1787143910121799680 |
| score |
11.674684 |