This course provides a practical introduction to systematic conservation planning using the Zonation software. Participants will learn how to structure spatial analyses to prioritize conservation areas, interpret the results, and generate cartographic products applicable to conservation decision making.

• Starts on Tuesday, April 1, and ends on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
• Synchronous classes will be held every Tuesdays from 18:00 to 20:00 (GMT-6) for 8 weeks.

• Modality: Virtual.
• Theoretical/Practical: To complete the program, participants must attend more than 75% of virtual synchronous classes and achieve an average greater than or equal to 70 in evaluations.
• Cost: Free.

• Availability of at least 16 hours during the entire program to attend eight virtual synchronous sessions. (2 hrs/class)
• Availability of at least 32 hours during the entire the program for completing short assignments, labs, and a final project. (4 hrs/week)
• Have basic knowledge of GIS and ecological niche models.
• Fill out the form to Participate in Redbioma activities (previously circulated, please fill out only once).

Acquire basic theoretical knowledge of Systematic Conservation Planning and apply it in practical exercises using the spatial prioritization software Zonation, in order to develop comprehensive skills for conservation strategy development.

• Understand the principles of systematic conservation planning.
• Use the Zonation software for spatial conservation prioritization.
• Interpret and visualize the results of the generated analyses.
• Apply the knowledge to real case studies.

The course is theoretical and practical, meaning that during synchronous sessions there will be time to present the basic concepts necessary to understand systematic conservation planning through specific examples. Additionally, practical exercises will be carried out using the Zonation prioritization software, allowing students to acquire the fundamental tools to develop their own conservation prioritization projects. Assignments will be given to reinforce acquired knowledge, and an individual final project will be developed to apply the concepts and procedures learned throughout the course.

• All synchronous sessions will be recorded and published on the redbioma website.
• Final research projects will be published on the redbioma website.

1. Introduction to Systematic Conservation Planning
1. Key concepts and conservation approaches.
2. Importance of systematic planning and spatial analysis.
3. Stages of systematic conservation planning.
4. Software for systematic conservation planning.
2. Data for conservation priority analysis
1. Types of data used in Zonation.
2. Sources of spatial data (biodiversity, threats, land use).
3. Data preparation and preprocessing in QGIS or R.
3. Fundamentals of the Zonation algorithm
1. Prioritization algorithms and their logic.
2. Hierarchical removal methods.
3. Key parameters in Zonation.
4. Configuration and execution of analyses in Zonation
1. Creating input files.
2. Configuring parameters in Zonation.
3. Execution and preliminary analysis of results.
5. Interpretation and visualization of results
1. Prioritization maps and their interpretation.
2. Exportation of results and GIS analysis.
3. Evaluation of conservation scenarios.
6. Advanced configurations in Zonation
1. Using constraints and weightings.
2. Integration of costs and threats.
3. Optimization of conservation strategies.
7. Applications and case studies
1. Review of previous studies using Zonation.
2. Application in different ecological contexts.
3. Discussion of limitations and best practices.
8. Final project presentations and discussion
1. Presentation of Participants' results.
2. Feedback and discussion of practical applications.
3. Course conclusion.

Students will complete assignments, participate in forums, and develop a final project. Evaluation items are as follows:

Assignments must be submitted by 12:00 PM (GMT-6) on the day before the next class.