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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
12:44
Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework
Published on: July 24, 2016
Socially strategic ecological restoration: a game-theoretic analysis [corrected]
1Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA. mbuckley@ucsc.edu
Environmental Management
|April 20, 2006
Summary
Ecological restoration in mosaic landscapes can fail if user conflicts aren't managed. Cooperation may improve ecosystem services, but strategic actions can hinder restoration success.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Game Theory
- Conservation Biology
Background:
- Mosaic landscapes involve multiple land uses, leading to user conflicts.
- Ecological restoration projects can negatively impact existing land users.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze user conflicts in ecological restoration within mosaic landscapes.
- To model restoration outcomes using game theory and identify conditions for success.
Main Methods:
- Application of game theory to model interactions between restorationists and land users.
- Analysis of three potential outcomes: nonstrategic, noncooperative, and cooperative.
Main Results:
- Restoration can decrease ecosystem services if user responses are not considered.
- Strategic restorationists may halt activities if farmer defenses outweigh gains.
- Imperfect information can lead to suboptimal restoration scale, location, and form.
Conclusions:
- Cooperative strategies can lead to better restoration outcomes and ecosystem services.
- Understanding user feedbacks and payoffs is crucial for effective ecological restoration.
- Case study on California's upper Sacramento River informs model design.
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