A Co-Modelling Process Of Social And Natural Dynamics On The Isle Of Ouessant: Sheep, Turf And Bikes

Mathias Rouan (1) , Christian Kerbiriou (2) , Harold Levrel (3) , Michel Etienne (4)

1 LETG - Brest - Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique
2 CERSP - Conservation des espèces, Restauration et Suivi des Populations
3 AMURE - Aménagement des Usages des Ressources et des Espaces marins et littoraux - Centre de droit et d'économie de la mer
4 ECODEVELOPPEMENT - Unité de recherche d'Écodéveloppement

An interdisciplinary team has applied the multi-agent system formalism to study shrub encroachment in the Biosphere Reserve on the isle of Ouessant. The main goals were (1) to understand vegetation dynamics, and (2) to represent how main agents, or actors view the dynamics of natural resources in relation to their own living practices. The management strategies established for each type of stakeholders were formalised and the impact of these strategies on biodiversity was analyzed at various temporal and spatial scales. Following a short description of the model, three aspects of the modelling process are discussed in more detail: the use of the chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) population as a representative variable for the interactions between stakeholders and territory, the use of nonmonetary economic indicators, and the ways that multi-disciplinary scientific knowledge can be integrated into the model.

Mots clés: Companion modelling; Agent-based model; Biodiversity; Social dynamics; Shrub encroachment; Biosphere Reserve

Domaines: Modélisation et simulation

Mathias Rouan, Christian Kerbiriou, Harold Levrel, Michel Etienne. A Co-Modelling Process Of Social And Natural Dynamics On The Isle Of Ouessant: Sheep, Turf And Bikes. Environmental Modelling and Software, 2010, 25 (11), pp.1399-1412. ⟨10.1016/j.envsoft.2009.10.010⟩. ⟨hal-00426220⟩