Landscape Game: A model to understand the dynamics of land competition, policy measures and sustainability of a landscape

Abstract

The landscape is a complex place where ecosystems and humans interact. Various actors have interests in landscapes and struggle for their livelihoods and benefits. The landscape itself is alive, growing and giving back either positively or negatively. No one can exactly project what can happen to a landscape in the future with these complex actor interactions. A non-computerized tool called "Landscape Game" was developed based on game theory to help understand the dynamics of land competition, policy measures and sustainability of a landscape. The game combines concepts of Monopoly, SimCity, American Farmer, Snakes and Ladder, cellular automata, game theory and genetic algorithms. The Landscape Game operates on a landscape scale, covering a mosaic of various land cover and land use patches including forest that work as an ecosystem. Through this game, stakeholders can experiment with the likely impacts of human actions in a landscape where competing land uses and policy dynamics interact. Policy makers can learn how to maintain and improve the sustainability and productivity of a landscape by using various policy instruments, e.g., rules, taxes, land use, incentives and disincentives. This game introduces a variety of concepts such as landscape conservation, development, environmental services including REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), investment alternatives, trade among players, and competition and collaboration. The game challenges rational players to maximize their revenues, while at the same time taking care of the ecological and social conditions. This paper describes how the Landscape Game was developed and played with various stakeholders as well as lessons learnt. We expected the game learning process to change players' mental model previously conveyed by the players.