Course objectives: The sustainable management of renewable natural resources and territories must take into account various levels of decision and scales of analysis, multiple actors and stakes, and interactions between the resources system and the management system. The course aims at qualifying students for complex systems modelling, including system description (elements and interactions), qualitative and quantitative dynamics description, and simulation of system behaviour under various management scenarios.

Course contents: (1) From reality to models: simplyfiing for understanding. Introduction to systemic thinking; (2) System dynamics (SD) and properties; (3) Model building: causal chart, flow chart, equations; (3) Archetypal schemes in SD; (4) Spatial issues in modelling; (5) Models of resource management in SD; (6) Model implementation; (7) Scenario building and simulations for decision making.

Teaching and learning methods: Lectures (6 hours). Practical group work with the Stella software: model design and implementation from natural resource case studies (18 hours).

Examination: Group evaluation of the modelling project report.

Competences acquired: Knowledge of SD and graphical modelling. Ability to use tools designed for the modelling of natural resource modelling. Capacity for a critical analysis of models.

Course homepage: http://www.agroparistech.fr/en/Training/Emetf/Emetf.htm