Biocomplexity - Incubation Activity: Integrated Modeling of the Complementarities and Conflicts Between Ecological Systems and Economic Activities in North Carolina

这项孵化活动将调查生态系统服务和经济活动之间的互补和冲突的性质，特别是北卡罗来纳州相连的河流和河口的陆地-水界面。最近对经济快速增长、北卡罗来纳州环境资源的持续变化、沿海水道的营养物质负荷不断增加、畜牧业以及快速发展的地貌中飓风和沿海洪水增加的前景的关切，将注意力集中在开展综合研究以设计针对这些问题的政策对策上。这项研究试图发展生态系统模型和动态计算经济模型之间的联系，该模型描述了不同类型的家庭和企业在空间背景下的均衡位置。生态系统结构基于其单元的土地使用指定以及它们与河流、湿地和沿海河口的界面来模拟生态过程和功能。研究将利用研究区域和研究团队的属性，从研究三角和外部大学抽调。其中包括：(A)背景数据的长期实地研究(例如，美国环保署的Albemarle-Pamlico研究1990-96年)，一些相对不受干扰的沿海环境，用于新的监测活动，以及最近为收集关于主要流域关键描述符的相当广泛的信息所做的努力；(B)有合作历史的相互联系的自然科学家、工程师和基于地理信息系统的景观生态学家的网络；(C)(在美国)最大的环境经济学家集合之一(他们也有与自然科学界合作的历史)；以及(D)一批杰出的外部学者，他们在开发和连接能够描述生态过程和经济活动的动态相互作用的空间模型的数量和方法要求方面具有经验。一个由自然、社会科学家和工程师组成的团队将与以下人员合作：北卡罗来纳州立大学的V.Kerry Smith和Leonard J.Piedrafesa；马里兰大学的Nancy Bockstael；以及科罗拉多大学的Thomas Rutherford。活动包括一次委托发表论文的会议和一系列持续的研讨会，自然科学家和社会科学家将在研讨会上互动，以确定研究的定义。这项孵化活动是作为2000财年生物复杂性特别竞赛的一部分得到资助的。

This incubation activity will investigate the nature of the complementarities and conflicts between the services of ecological systems and economic activities, focusing specifically on the land-water interface for North Carolina's linked rivers and estuaries. Recent concerns about rapid economic growth, ongoing transformations to North Carolina's environmental resources, growing nutrient loadings to coastal waterways, animal agriculture, and the prospect of increased hurricanes and coastal flooding in a rapidly developing landscape have focused attention on the development of integrated research to design policy responses to these issues. This research seeks to develop linkages between ecosystem models and a dynamic computational economic model describing equilibrium locations of heterogeneous households and firms in a spatial context. The ecosystem structures simulate ecological processes and functions based on the land use designation of their cells along with their interface with rivers, wetlands, and coastal estuaries. The research will take advantage of attributes of the study area and the research team drawn from the Research Triangle and external universities. These include: (a) a long history of field research for background data (e.g. the EPA Albemarle-Pamlico Study 1990-96), some relatively undisturbed coastal environments for new monitoring activities, and recent efforts to collect fairly extensive information on key descriptors of the major watersheds; (b) a network of linked natural scientists, engineers, and GIS-based landscape ecologists with a history of collaboration; (c) one of the largest collections (in the US) of environmental economists (who also have a history of collaborating with the natural science community); and (d) a select group of distinguished external scholars with experience in the quantitative and methodological requirements of developing and linking spatial models capable of describing the dynamic interactions of ecological processes and economic activities. A team of natural and social scientists and engineers will work with: V. Kerry Smith and Leonard J. Piedrafesa of NC State University; Nancy Bockstael, University of Maryland; and Thomas Rutherford, University of Colorado. Activities include a conference with commissioned papers and a continuing workshop series where natural and social scientists will interact to define the research. This incubation activity was funded as part of the FY2000 Biocomplexity Special Competition.