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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2025 The Author(s). Ecology Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Effective conservation of biodiversity depends on the successful management of wildlife populations and their habitats. Successful management, in turn, depends on our ability to understand and accurately forecast how populations and communities respond to human-induced changes in their environments. However, quantifying how these stressors impact population dynamics remains challenging. Another significant hurdle at this interface is determining which quantitative approach(es) are most appropriate given data types, constraints and the intended purpose. Here, we provide a cross-taxa overview of key methodological approaches (e.g., matrix population models) and model elements (e.g., energetics) that are currently used to model the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on wildlife populations. Specifically, we discuss how these modelling approaches differ in their key assumptions, in their structure and complexity, in the questions they are best poised to address and in their data requirements. Our intention is to help overcome some of the methodological biases that might persist across taxonomic specialisations, identify new opportunities to address existing modelling challenges and improve scientific understanding of the direct and indirect impacts of anthropogenic disturbance. We guide users through the identification of appropriate model configurations for different management purposes, while also suggesting key priorities for model development and integration.
Author(s): Speakman CN, Bull S, Cubaynes S, Davis K, Devillard S, Fryxell J, Gallagher CA, McHuron EA, Rastello K, Smallegange IM, Salguero-Gómez R, Bonnaud E, Duchamp C, Giraudoux P, Lacombe S, Marneweck C, Schroll L, Tableau A, Ruette S, Gimenez O
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Ecology Letters
Year: 2025
Volume: 28
Issue: 8
Online publication date: 22/08/2025
Acceptance date: 05/08/2025
Date deposited: 01/09/2025
ISSN (print): 1461-023X
ISSN (electronic): 1461-0248
Publisher: Wiley
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.70198
DOI: 10.1111/ele.70198
Data Access Statement: No data or code were used in this manuscript.
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