The first edition of the Spatial Conservation Planning course (SCP) is now over and, according to the student, it was a success!! The course, organised jointly with the Biodiversity and Genetic Resources Research Centre (CIBIO at the University of Évora, took place the 28th of September and the 3rd of October 2015, and was coordinated by Dr. Diogo Alagador with contributions from Prof. Miguel Araújo and Prof. Jorge Orestes Cerdeira. During the course the students had the opportunity to:

• gain insight on a range of spatial conservation problems that can be handled quantitatively;

• understand the conceptual underpinnings of spatial conservation prioritisation problems;

• understand the strengths, limitations and potential applicability of the proposed free-available software tools (Marxan, Zonation, MulTyLink, iC4: Identifying Conservation Corridors for Climate Change);

• enhance their operative skills in spatial conservation planning software (in particular the above mentioned), for applications conducted under challenging contexts (e.g., climate change).

12 students participated in the course from Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Italy, Iraque, Germany, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, and Shri Lanka.