K6. Modelling human decision-making situated in socio-ecological system models of land-use transitions

Understanding how human actors perceive and adapt to social-ecological changes is crucial to manage sustainable land-use transformations. Despite the wide range of available conceptual and technical options for modelling human perception and decision-making, many studies modelled human behaviour rather independently than embedded in SES models. Human decision-making components encoded in precedent SES modelling studies have been limited regarding the utilization of available decision/behavioural theories and methodologies, e.g. the accommodative adaptation perspective. In the long term, adaptive decisions on land use are not only perceiving environmental changes in short term and acting based on pre-existing cognitive schemas/behaviour rules (assimilative adaptation), but also modifying the pre-existing schemas/rules to deal better with new situations (accommodative adaptation). Representing land-use decisions co-evolving with the social-ecological environment over time and space remains a key challenge of coupled socio-ecological system (SES) models of land-use transitions.

Independently, some studies have recently proposed conceptual criteria for describing or designing relevant human behaviour component of SES model, and explore alternative methods. This session, therefore, aims by bringing together researchers who treat human perception and decision-making as components embedded within SES model of long-term land-use transitions ̶ here so-called SES-situated human decisions modelling ̶ at the forefront of innovative solutions.

Topics include, but are not limited to, advances in:

• Designing criteria and/or framework for modelling adaptive human decision making, from assimilative to accommodative within SES models of land-use transitions.
• Methods for modelling human adaptation following inter-mediated/ short-term and accumulated/long-term social-ecological feedback loops across multiple scales.
• Operational, case-based application of contemporary decision-making theories, ranging from psychologies to modern economics, to model human behaviour situated in the SES context.
• Methods for uncertainty analysis of human behaviour models in relevant to long-term land-use transition.
• Participatory processes and tools, with proven case studies, for modelling human decisions situated in either SES simulation models, or SES-based transdisciplinary processes of land-use transition management.