Environmental Modeling with Stakeholders

Environmental Modeling with Stakeholders
Author: Steven Gray,Michael Paolisso,Rebecca Jordan,Stefan Gray
Publsiher: Springer
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2016-12-16
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9783319250533

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This volume brings together, in a central text, chapters written by leading scholars working at the intersection of modeling, the natural and social sciences, and public participation. This book presents the current state of knowledge regarding the theory and practice of engaging stakeholders in environmental modeling for decision-making, and includes basic theoretical considerations, an overview of methods and tools available, and case study examples of these principles and methods in practice. Although there has been a significant increase in research and development regarding participatory modeling, a unifying text that provides an overview of the different methodologies available to scholars and a systematic review of case study applications has been largely unavailable. This edited volume seeks to address a gap in the literature and provide a primer that addresses the growing demand to adopt and apply a range of modeling methods that includes the public in environmental assessment and management. The book is divided into two main sections. The first part of the book covers basic considerations for including stakeholders in the modeling process and its intersection with the theory and practice of public participation in environmental decision-making. The second part of the book is devoted to specific applications and products of the various methods available through case study examination. This second part of the book also provides insight from several international experts currently working in the field about their approaches, types of interactions with stakeholders, models produced, and the challenges they perceived based on their practical experiences.

Environmental Modelling Software and Decision Support

Environmental Modelling  Software and Decision Support
Author: Anthony J. Jakeman,Alexey A. Voinov,Andrea E. Rizzoli,Serena H. Chen
Publsiher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2008-09-11
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0080915302

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The complex and multidisciplinary nature of environmental problems requires that they are dealt with in an integrated manner. Modeling and software have become key instruments used to promote sustainability and improve environmental decision processes, especially through systematic integration of various knowledge and data and their ability to foster learning and help make predictions. This book presents the current state-of-the-art in environmental modeling and software and identifies the future challenges in the field. State-of-the-art in environmental modeling and software theory and practice for integrated assessment and management serves as a starting point for researchers Identifies the areas of research and practice required for advancing the requisite knowledge base and tools, and their wider usage Best practices of environmental modeling enables the reader to select appropriate software and gives the reader tools to integrate natural system dynamics with human dimensions

Models in Environmental Regulatory Decision Making

Models in Environmental Regulatory Decision Making
Author: National Research Council,Division on Earth and Life Studies,Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology,Committee on Models in the Regulatory Decision Process
Publsiher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2007-08-25
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780309110006

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Many regulations issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are based on the results of computer models. Models help EPA explain environmental phenomena in settings where direct observations are limited or unavailable, and anticipate the effects of agency policies on the environment, human health and the economy. Given the critical role played by models, the EPA asked the National Research Council to assess scientific issues related to the agency's selection and use of models in its decisions. The book recommends a series of guidelines and principles for improving agency models and decision-making processes. The centerpiece of the book's recommended vision is a life-cycle approach to model evaluation which includes peer review, corroboration of results, and other activities. This will enhance the agency's ability to respond to requirements from a 2001 law on information quality and improve policy development and implementation.

Mediated Modeling

Mediated Modeling
Author: Marjan Van den Belt
Publsiher: Washington, DC : Island Press
Total Pages: 372
Release: 2004-04
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: UOM:39015061773548

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Mediated modeling is an innovative new approach that enhances the use of computer models as invaluable tools to guide policy and management decisions. Rather than having outside experts dispensing answers to local stakeholders, mediated modeling brings together diverse interests to raise the shared level of understanding and foster a broad and deep consensus. It provides a structured process based on system dynamics thinking in which community members, government officials, industry representatives, and other stakeholders can work together to produce a coherent, simple but elegant simulation model. Mediated Modeling by Marjan Van Den Belt is a practical guide to participatory modeling for both practitioners and students, one that is firmly theoretically grounded in the field of systems dynamics and environmental modeling. Five in-depth case studies describe the successful use of the technique in a variety of settings, and a final chapter synthesizes the lessons highlighted by the case studies. Mediated Modeling's step-by-step description of the techniques and practical advice regarding implementation offer a real-world solution for all those seeking to make sound decisions about the environment.

Encyclopedia of Ecology

Encyclopedia of Ecology
Author: Brian D. Fath
Publsiher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 2786
Release: 2018-08-23
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780444641304

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Encyclopedia of Ecology, Second Edition, Four Volume Set continues the acclaimed work of the previous edition published in 2008. It covers all scales of biological organization, from organisms, to populations, to communities and ecosystems. Laboratory, field, simulation modelling, and theoretical approaches are presented to show how living systems sustain structure and function in space and time. New areas of focus include micro- and macro scales, molecular and genetic ecology, and global ecology (e.g., climate change, earth transformations, ecosystem services, and the food-water-energy nexus) are included. In addition, new, international experts in ecology contribute on a variety of topics. Offers the most broad-ranging and comprehensive resource available in the field of ecology Provides foundational content and suggests further reading Incorporates the expertise of over 500 outstanding investigators in the field of ecology, including top young scientists with both research and teaching experience Includes multimedia resources, such as an Interactive Map Viewer and links to a CSDMS (Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System), an open-source platform for modelers to share and link models dealing with earth system processes

Ecological Modeling for Resource Management

Ecological Modeling for Resource Management
Author: Virginia H. Dale
Publsiher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 328
Release: 2006-04-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780387215631

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This book will serve as a readable introduction to ecological modeling for people involved in resource management and will also review models for specific applications of interest to more experienced modelers. Successful uses of ecological models as well as discussions of important issues in modeling are addressed. The authors of this volume hope to close the gap between the state of the art in ecological modeling and the state of the practice in the use of models in management decision making.

Assessing Approaches to Stakeholder Engagement in Regional Climate Impacts Modeling

Assessing Approaches to Stakeholder Engagement in Regional Climate Impacts Modeling
Author: Elizabeth Allen
Publsiher: Unknown
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2016
Genre: Electronic Book
ISBN: OCLC:964081086

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Scientific research is key to understanding complex environmental systems and informing decisions about natural resource management in the context of climate change. However, when environmental science research is conducted without active stakeholder engagement, the result is typically development of new knowledge that does not directly serve the needs of individuals, industries and organizations that make decisions about environmental policy and resource management. Recent decades have seen rapidly expanding efforts to conduct environmental science research that directly informs government policies and private decision-makers' management plans, yet significant barriers remain in the pursuit of usable climate science. Strategies for effective collaboration among researchers and stakeholders, who have diverse needs and expertise, are not well developed. Metrics are needed for evaluating approaches to usable climate science production. This research advances understanding of how to foster effective stakeholder engagement for usable climate science outputs, focusing on regional environmental modeling efforts based at universities. By tracking researchers' perceptions about stakeholder engagement over the course of a 5-year project, assessing stakeholders' information needs and perceptions of research and identifying characteristics of effective boundary-spanning organizations, this work suggests strategies for evaluating the effectiveness of efforts to produce usable climate science and identifies strategies for academic scientists to develop their capacity to bridge boundaries between research and decision-making.

Agent Based Modeling of Environmental Conflict and Cooperation

Agent Based Modeling of Environmental Conflict and Cooperation
Author: Todd K. BenDor,Jürgen Scheffran
Publsiher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 333
Release: 2018-10-12
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9781351106245

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Conflict is a major facet of many environmental challenges of our time. However, growing conflict complexity makes it more difficult to identify win-win strategies for sustainable conflict resolution. Innovative methods are needed to help predict, understand, and resolve conflicts in cooperative ways. Agent-Based Modeling of Environmental Conflict and Cooperation examines computer modeling techniques as an important set of tools for assessing environmental and resource-based conflicts and, ultimately, for finding pathways to conflict resolution and cooperation. This book has two major goals. First, it argues that complexity science can be a unifying framework for professions engaged in conflict studies and resolution, including anthropology, law, management, peace studies, urban planning, and geography. Second, this book presents an innovative framework for approaching conflicts as complex adaptive systems by using many forms of environmental analysis, including system dynamics modeling, agent-based modeling, evolutionary game theory, viability theory, and network analysis. Known as VIABLE (Values and Investments from Agent-Based interaction and Learning in Environmental systems), this framework allows users to model advanced facets of conflicts—including institution building, coalition formation, adaptive learning, and the potential for future conflict—and conflict resolution based on the long-term viability of the actors’ strategies. Written for scholars, students, practitioners, and policy makers alike, this book offers readers an extensive introduction to environmental conflict research and resolution techniques. As the result of decades of research, the text presents a strong argument for conflict modeling and reviews the most popular and advanced techniques, including system dynamics modeling, agent-based modeling, and participatory modeling methods. This indispensable guide uses NetLogo, a widely used and free modeling software package, to implement the VIABLE modeling approach in three case study applications around the world. Readers are invited to explore, adapt, modify, and expand these models to conflicts they hope to better understand and resolve.