联系我们： 手动添加方式: 微信>添加朋友>企业微信联系人>13262280223 或者 QQ: 1483266981

1
Integrated Environmental Planning and Impact Assessment
Synopsis Essay
Due Date: 5:00 pm, Wednesday November 2, 2022
In this assignment you are required to select ONE topic, and write a synopsis of one of the modelling
papers from the reference lists below (these are available on MyUni). The synopsis is to be approximately
2500 words (not more than 2750), and should discuss the points outlined under each topic (please do not
refer to the sub-points as sub-headings in the essay – but for clarity, you can use headings, such as the
main points, or others).
TOPIC 1: Integrated Modelling Systems and Applications
Synopsis Outline
For this topic, write a synopsis essay of an integrated modelling study (select one study from the reference
list below). Select the study from one of the papers in the reference list below. The synopsis is to focus
on: the study objectives; the integrated modelling framework adopted; and the study application and
results. The essay should address (but not be limited to) the following points:
1) Objective of the model application study outlined in the paper.
a. What is the focus of the study in the paper?
b. What are the objectives and foci of the model?
c. Who are the stakeholders involved, and what role did they play in the study?
2) Analysis of the integrated model proposed in the paper.
a. What are the main components included in the integrated model?
b. Consider independently the social, environmental, and economic domains of the model:
i. What are the important variables and processes that are modelled in each of
these three domains?
ii. What modelling paradigms/approaches/techniques were used to model the
dynamics of each of these three domains?
iii. What are the important interdependencies and feedback processes between the
sub-models within each domain? E.g. Soil infiltration from rainfall runoff model
influencing the ground water model.
iv. What are the external drivers incorporated within the model? E.g. rainfall,
population growth, or crop share price.
2
c. Consider the integration between the social, environmental, and economic domains of
the model:
i. What are the important relationships between each domain that integrate the
model?
ii. What are the policy control options within the model?
iii. What are the time-scales used within each domain, and how are they reconciled
within the integrated model?
iv. What is the spatial-resolution used within each domain, and how are they
reconciled within the integrated model?
v. Sketch out an influence diagram to facilitate your discussion.
3) Discussion of model application.
a. Approach to modelling.
i. How was the model used to achieve the objectives?
ii. What scenarios were used and why?
iii. Were these scenarios broad enough (or relevant) to cover the objectives?
b. Analysis of the model results.
i. What were the important outputs from the model, and how were they extracted
and analysed?
ii. How was uncertainty incorporated within the results?
iii. What were the main outcomes from the study?
[Please note that you may need to find additional references to provide you with more background
information on the model and/or case study considered in your selected paper.]
For further background on integrated land use models, please refer to the review paper:
Agarwal, C, et al. (2002). “A review and assessment of Land-Use Change Models: Dynamics of Space,
Time and Human Choice.” United States Department of Agriculture General Technical Report NE 297
Reference List
Costanza, R., A. Voinov, et al. (2002). “Integrated ecological economic modeling of the Patuxent River
watershed, Maryland.” Ecological Monographs 72(2): 203-231.
Eickhout, B., H. van Meijl, et al. (2007). “Economic and ecological consequences of four European land use
scenarios.” Land Use Policy 24(3): 562-575.
Gottschalk, T. K., T. Diekoetter, et al. (2007). “Impact of agricultural subsidies on biodiversity at the
landscape level.” Landscape Ecology 22(5): 643-656.
Koch, J., R. Schaldach, et al. (2008). “Modeling the impacts of grazing land management on land-use
change for the Jordan River region.” Global and Planetary Change 64(3-4): 177-187.
Manson, S. M. (2005). “Agent-based modeling and genetic programming for modeling land change in the
Southern Yucatan Peninsular Region of Mexico.” Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment 111(1-4):
47-62.
3
Priess, J. A., M. Mimler, et al. (2007). “Linking deforestation scenarios to pollination services and economic
returns in coffee agroforestry systems.” Ecological Applications 17(2): 407-417.
Strengers, B., R. Leemans, et al. (2004). “The land-use projections and resulting emissions in the IPCC SRES
scenarios as simulated by the IMAGE 2.2 model.” GeoJournal 61(4): 381-393.
Susnik, J., L. S. Vamvakeridou-Lyroudia, et al. (2012). “Integrated System Dynamics Modelling for water
scarcity assessment: Case study of the Kairouan region.” Science of the Total Environment 440: 290-
306.
van Delden, H., P. Luja, et al. (2007). “Integration of multi-scale dynamic spatial models of socio-economic
and physical processes for river basin management.” Environmental Modelling & Software 22(2):
223-238.
Wassenaar, T., P. Gerber, et al. (2007). “Projecting land use changes in the Neotropics: The geography of
pasture expansion into forest.” Global Environmental Change-Human and Policy Dimensions 17(1):
86-104.
TOPIC 2: Participatory Model Development and Applications
Synopsis Outline
For this topic, write a synopsis essay of a participatory model development and application study. Select
the study from one of the papers in the reference list below. The essay should address (but not be limited
to) the following points:
1) Objective of the participatory study outlined in the paper.
a. What is the focus of the study in the paper?
b. Why was a participatory model building approach adopted within the study:
i. What was the objective of participation (e.g. increase, share, or learn knowledge;
support decision making by identifying and clarifying impacts)?
ii. Discuss other complexities of the human-environmental system under study that
warranted a participatory model development
2) Framework for stakeholder involvement:
a. How were relevant stakeholders identified, and what was the composition of the
stakeholder group (e.g. government, private industry, special interest groups)?
b. Outline the methods of stakeholder participation:
i. Outline the participation activities (workshops, interviews, surveys, etc) and what
were the reasons for the participation activities (e.g. inform stakeholders, extract
information, interactive sharing)?
ii. What participatory frameworks (if any) were adopted to structure the
stakeholder engagement?
c. What was the purpose of participation, and what were the primary outcomes required
from the stakeholder involvement (e.g. model development, calibration, model use,
scenario development, identification of management decisions)?
3) Modelling framework adopted
4
a. Outline the modelling framework adopted.
b. Outline how the stakeholder information was incorporated into the model structure (e.g.
model composition, parameter settings etc), and iterative feedback cycles between
stakeholders and modellers.
c. Sketch our an influence diagram to facilitate your discussion.
4) Discussion of study results and value of stakeholder participation
a. What are the key results of the model application, and how do they relate to the study
objectives?
b. Critically evaluate the value added to the project resulting from the stakeholder
participation.
For further background on integrated land use models, please refer to the review papers:
Reed, M. S. (2008). “Stakeholder participation for environmental management: A literature review.”
Biological Conservation 141(10): 2417-2431.
Voinov, A. and F. Bousquet (2010). “Modelling with stakeholders.” Environmental Modelling & Software
25(11): 1268-1281.
Voinov, A., et al. (2016). “Modelling with stakeholders – Next generation.” Environmental Modelling &
Software 77: 196-220.
Reference List
Carmona, G., et al. (2013). “Participatory modelling to support decision making in water management
under uncertainty: Two comparative case studies in the Guadiana river basin, Spain.” Journal of
Environmental Management 128: 400-412.
Castella, J. C., et al. (2005). “Participatory simulation of land-use changes in the northern mountains of
Vietnam: the combined use of an agent-based model, a role-playing game, and a geographic
information system.” Ecology and Society 10(1).
Chen, H., et al. (2014). “Integrated wetland management: An analysis with group model building based
on system dynamics model.” Journal of Environmental Management 146: 309-319.
Greiner, R., et al. (2014). “Scenario modelling to support industry strategic planning and decision
making.” Environmental Modelling & Software 55: 120-131.
Hewitt, R., et al. (2014). “Participatory land use modelling, pathways to an integrated approach.”
Environmental Modelling & Software 52: 149-165.
Leitman, S. and G. A. Kiker (2015). “Development and comparison of integrated river/reservoir models in
the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint basin, USA.” Environment Systems & Decisions 35(3): 410-
423.
5
Mendoza, G. A. and R. Prabhu (2006). “Participatory modeling and analysis for sustainable forest
management: Overview of soft system dynamics models and applications.” Forest Policy and
Economics 9(2): 179-196.
Metcalf, S. S., et al. (2010). “Sharing the floodplain: Mediated modeling for environmental
management.” Environmental Modelling & Software 25(11): 1282-1290.
Meyer, S. R., et al. (2014). “Development of a stakeholder-driven spatial modeling framework for
strategic landscape planning using Bayesian networks across two urban-rural gradients in Maine,
USA.” Ecological Modelling 291: 42-57.