Coupled human and natural systems: A multi-agent-based approach

A major force affecting many forest ecosystems is the encroachment of residential, commercial and industrial development. Analysis of the complex interactions between development decisions and ecosystems, and how the environmental consequences of these decisions influence human values and subsequent decisions will lead to a better understanding of the environmental consequences of private choices and public policies. Determining conditions of the interactions between human decisions and natural systems that lead to long-term sustainability of forest ecosystems is one goal of this work. Interactions between human stakeholders are represented using multi-agent models that act on forest landscape models in the form of land-use change. Feedback on the effects of these actions is received through ecological habitat metrics and hydrological responses. Results are presented on the dynamics of land-use change under different growth management strategies based on an area of the Dallas–Fort Worth (Texas, U.S.A.) region facing intense residential development.