Diversity deficits in modelled landscape mosaics
- Publication Type
- Journal contribution (peer reviewed)
- Authors
- Villamor, G.B., van Noordwijk, M., Le, Q.B., Lusiana, B., Matthews, R., Vlek, P.L.G.
- Year of publication
- 2011
- Published in
- Ecological Informatics
- Band/Volume
- 6/1
- Page (from - to)
- 73-82
We outline several diversity factors that modellers and models can include directly or indirectly in order to
improve the accuracy and usefulness of the model. Without considering these factors, different types of
diversity deficit can arise. These deficits can be considered in three domains: 1) in the real world where
actual diversity is less than a potential state that is deemed desirable (hence we worry about loss of
biodiversity and cultural diversity); 2) in modelling of the real world (where ‘residual variance’ may
represent a diversity deficit of the model); and 3) in our recognition of the driving forces that are used to
construct a model (a diversity deficit due to oversimplification). The goal of this review is to use these three domains of diversity deficit to evaluate existing models, with a longer term goal of creating a more robust framework for assessing landscape models in the future. To that end, we evaluate the behaviour
characteristics and routines of agents in some current models. We also address one of the fundamental
challenges to modelling diversity, which is the integration of non-economic motivations in the decision
making of human agents.