Prioritising search effort to locate previously unknown populations of endangered marine reptiles

摘要: Abstract Strategies aimed to conserve and manage rare species are often hindered by the lack of data needed for their effective design. Incomplete inaccurate on habitat associations current distributions pose a barrier conservation management several endemic sea snakes in Western Australia that thought be decline. Here we used correlative modelling approach understand identify suitable habitats five these (Aipysurus apraefrontalis, A. foliosquama, fuscus, l. pooleorum tenuis). We modelled species-specific suitability across 804,244 km2 coastal waters along North-west Shelf Australia, prioritise future survey regions locate unknown populations species. Model projections were also quantify effectiveness spatial strategies (Marine Protected Areas) conserving important Species-specific models matched well with records which they trained, identified additional without records. Subsequent field validation model uncovered previously locality fuscus within mid-shelf shoal region, outside its currently recognised global range. Defining accurate geographic is vital first step defining more robust extent occurrence range overlap threatening processes.