The Use of a Predictive Habitat Model and a Fuzzy Logic Approach for Marine Management and Planning

ottom trawl survey data are commonly used as a sampling technique to assess the spatial distribution of commercial species. However, this sampling technique does not always correctly detect a species even when it is present, and this can create significant limitations when fitting species distribution models. In this study, we aim to test the relevance of a mixed methodological approach that combines presence-only and presence-absence distribution models. We illustrate this approach using bottom trawl survey data to model the spatial distributions of 27 commercially targeted marine species. We use an environmentally- and geographically-weighted method to simulate pseudo-absence data. The species distributions are modelled using regression kriging, a technique that explicitly incorporates spatial dependence into predictions. Model outputs are then used to identify areas that met the conservation targets for the deployment of artificial anti-trawling reefs. To achieve this, we propose the use of a fuzzy logic framework that accounts for the uncertainty associated with different model predictions. For each species, the predictive accuracy of the model is classified as ‘high’. A better result is observed when a large number of occurrences are used to develop the model. The map resulting from the fuzzy overlay shows that three main areas have a high level of agreement with the conservation criteria. These results align with expert opinion, confirming the relevance of the proposed methodology in this study.

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Hattab Tarek, Ben Rais Lasram Frida, Albouy Camille, Sammari Cherif, Romdhane Mohamed Salah, Cury Philippe, Leprieur Fabien, Le Loc'h Francois (2013). The Use of a Predictive Habitat Model and a Fuzzy Logic Approach for Marine Management and Planning. Plos One. 8 (10). e76430 (1-13). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0076430, https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00391/50282/

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