Australian rangelands as complex adaptive systems: A conceptual model and preliminary results

Models that seek to guide decisions on policy in rangelands must address the close links between ecological, economic, and social processes, and the adaptation of participants through time. We used an agent-based modeling approach to implement a parsimonious conceptual model of rangelands that includes biophysical processes central to the functioning of rangelands, commercial enterprises, and institutions. The model operates on a monthly time step, and uses economic and biophysical conditions to stimulate changes in management policies and learning. Our simple model reproduces the general patterns of forage growth and livestock dynamics, and results illustrate consequences of interactions between environmental heterogeneity and learning rate.