Resource management and scale transfer : The contribution of multiagent systems

Bousquet, François; Gautier, Denis; Le Page, Christophe

Resource management and scale transfer : The contribution of multiagent systems

1999

Bousquet, François | Gautier, Denis | Le Page, Christophe

This chapter examines the relationships among different levels of organization in the field of natural resources management and discusses how the dynamics identified at each level link up with others. A modeling approach is presented: the multiagent system (MAS), which provides a solution to the problem of scale transfer. First, we present multiagent systems and introduce the notion of organization level. We then present an example of the spatial dynamics of change in a theoretical rural area managed by fictional farmer-herders who set up villages in fertile zones and progressively clear fields around their villages. In parallel with this process of agricultural development, herds of livestock graze on the savannah in the vicinity of the fields. The increase in herd size places growing pressure on the pasture zones, resulting in forest conversion. We propose two alternative models to simulate the same spatial dynamics. The two models are based on processes represented at various levels: farmers and herds for the first model, spatial entities representing the village, crops, savannah, and forest for the second model. (Résumé d'auteur)

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