Complex Ecology

Abstract

The starting point for modeling biological resources is using a model of fish growth represented with a logistic equation and seeing the effects of different levels of harvest. Protected areas in developing countries represent interactions between ecological systems, the modern tourist industry, and the traditional rural economy. A predator prey model with multiple stakeholders was used to model wildlife in Ranthambhore National Park. Models can be extended with scenario analysis if we cannot control the system easily or it is less predictable. Valuation estimates of natural sites use static economic models; Kanchan Chopra argued that such short run economic values are based on long run ecological dynamics. In nonlinear dynamic systems it is possible to get an environmental regime shift; econometric techniques to detect structural breaks may detect such regime shifts, given suitable data. A non-linear equation can generate ‘deterministic chaos’—apparently random behavior that is not random.