Last week, Amelia and I (Amélie) went to a workshop called “Introduction to Bayesian networks (BN)” as several projects we are working on will be using this approach in the context of conservation planning. The workshop was run by Bayesian Intelligence based in Melbourne, Australia, and was very interesting and useful. BNs allow integrating uncertainty in the models of impacts from stressors, threats or management actions on species or habitats. This can be very powerful for conservation planning in the context of decision support tools for managers. Other members of the Conservation Planning group have already used BNs. Stephen, for instance, is incorporating BNs in his PhD thesis on modelling and management of multiple stressors on coral reefs. In our research project “Conservation planning for a changing coastal zone”, we will be using BNs to model cumulative impacts of coastal development on selected species associated with the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

Check out this youtube video where a guy explains, in 3 minutes, the basics behind Bayesian statistics!
You will look at the world and the decisions you make (and possibly your research) with a different eye…

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