Complexity, land-use modeling, and the human dimension: Fundamental challenges for mapping unknown outcome spaces Export

@article{Parker, abstract = {Land-use systems are characterized by complex interactions between human decision-makers and their biophysical environment. Mismatches between the scale of human drivers and the impacts of human decisions potentially threaten the ecological sustainability of these systems. This article reviews sources of complexity in land-use systems, moving from the human decision level to human interactions to effects over space, time and scale. Selected challenges in modeling such systems and potential resolutions are discussed, including strategies to empiricize complex models and methods for linking models across human and natural systems. Illustrative examples from published literature and an ongoing research project focused on timber harvest and carbon sequestration are used throughout the paper. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of remaining challenges to modeling indirect and cross-scale linkages and of the potential utility of complex models of land systems.}, author = {Parker, Dawn C. and Hessl, Amy and Davis, Sarah C.}, booktitle = {Conversations Across the Divide; The Time and Place for Political Ecology: The Life-Work of Piers Blaikie; Biocomplexity in Coupled Human-Natural Systems: The Study of Population-Environment Interactions}, citeulike-article-id = {3173721}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2007.05.005}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V68-4PK8B77-1/2/376b8d6a94739b623ad0ca4950475b88}, doi = {10.1016/j.geoforum.2007.05.005}, journal = {Geoforum}, keywords = {agent-based}, month = {March}, number = {2}, pages = {789--804}, posted-at = {2008-08-29 18:50:14}, priority = {2}, title = {Complexity, land-use modeling, and the human dimension: Fundamental challenges for mapping unknown outcome spaces}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2007.05.005}, volume = {39}, year = {2008} }

TY - JOUR ID - Parker L3 - citeulike-article-id:3173721 N2 - Land-use systems are characterized by complex interactions between human decision-makers and their biophysical environment. Mismatches between the scale of human drivers and the impacts of human decisions potentially threaten the ecological sustainability of these systems. This article reviews sources of complexity in land-use systems, moving from the human decision level to human interactions to effects over space, time and scale. Selected challenges in modeling such systems and potential resolutions are discussed, including strategies to empiricize complex models and methods for linking models across human and natural systems. Illustrative examples from published literature and an ongoing research project focused on timber harvest and carbon sequestration are used throughout the paper. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of remaining challenges to modeling indirect and cross-scale linkages and of the potential utility of complex models of land systems. IS - 2 JF - Geoforum EP - 804 TI - Complexity, land-use modeling, and the human dimension: Fundamental challenges for mapping unknown outcome spaces VL - 39 T2 - Conversations Across the Divide; The Time and Place for Political Ecology: The Life-Work of Piers Blaikie; Biocomplexity in Coupled Human-Natural Systems: The Study of Population-Environment Interactions SP - 789 KW - agent-based AU - Parker, Dawn AU - Hessl, Amy AU - Davis, Sarah PY - 2008/03// UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2007.05.005 ER -