Download AEBR 120 Developing predictive models for the distribution of vulnerable marine ecosystems in the South Pacific Ocean region

Vulnerable marine ecosystems are deep-sea ecosystems that are highly vulnerable to fishing activity. There are few data available on the distribution of VMEs to use for planning spatial protection measures. Therefore it is important to develop predictions of where VMEs are likely to occur. Data for VME indicator taxa were compiled, and habitat suitability modelling approaches evaluated, to determine their usefulness for predicting the distribution of VMEs in the South Pacific Ocean region.