Scoping the use of predictive models to address priority questions concerning terrestrial biodiversity

Rapid environmental change caused by anthropogenic activities has a major influence on the state of natural ecosystems, impacting the biodiversity and human societies that depend on them. Determining the likely future impacts of environmental changes, and how to manage them, can be greatly enhanced using modelling approaches able to predict future ecosystem states and biodiversity patterns. This report scopes the priorities and potential for informative predictive analyses of terrestrial biodiversity patterns. Specifically, the report describes 12 research priorities and broadly summarises the data requirements needed for addressing them using predictive modelling. The report concludes with some more detailed case studies of research questions and how they could be addressed.