Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: As biodiversity across the world continues to decline at a concerning rate, regional strategies focused on conservation and spatial planning have intensified. To support these efforts, spatially continuous, full-coverage maps on species distributions are essential. The Baltic Sea is surrounded by nine countries, making effective and well-coordinated transboundary planning necessary to achieve positive conservation outcomes. However, existing spatial datasets in the Baltic Sea are limited in spatial coverage (e.g. national datasets), do not cover the full range of species, and are often difficult to compare due to the different modelling methods and input data used. Here we present a unified dataset of 630 species distribution models covering the whole Baltic Sea, including the Danish Straits and Kattegat. The dataset contains distribution models and maps for all fish, macrophytes, and invertebrates for which sufficient observation data within the region were available. The predicted distribution maps are provided in 250 m resolution and include several outputs intended to support spatial planning in the region, including spatial confidence estimates and expert evaluation scores for each species. Importantly, the dataset was produced using a harmonized methodology suitable across a wide range of species, allowing users to combine and compare different species and species groups for subsequent spatial analyses.
Source: Research Square
Authors: Edmond Sacre, Antti Takolander, Ants Kaasik, Javier Lenzi, Ulf Bergström, Elina Virtanen, Jonne Kotta, Mårten Erlandsson, Ronny Fredriksson, Maren Leiz, Oscar Törnqvist, Jannica Haldin, Charlotte Berkström, Katriina Juva, Duncan Hume, Mikko Olin, Jānis Gruduls, Laura Briekmane, Adam Lejk, Christina Henseler, Justas Dainys, Linas Ložys, Roland Pesch
Institutions: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Finnish Environment Institute, University of Tartu, Jade Hochschule, Geological Survey of Sweden, Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment “BIOR”, National Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, Nature Research Centre
Language: English
Subfield: Ecological Modeling
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7203775262