Revive, Restore, Revitalize: An Eco-economic Methodology for Maasai Mara
Yipeng Xu, He Sun, Junfeng Zhu

TL;DR
This paper presents an agent-based model of the Maasai Mara ecosystem integrating ecological and human factors, and evaluates management strategies to balance conservation and development using multi-criteria decision methods.
Contribution
It introduces a comprehensive dynamic model combining ecological, human, and policy components, employing game theory and multi-criteria analysis for ecosystem management.
Findings
Optimal policy blend emphasizes conservation and economic growth.
Model accurately simulates animal-human-resource interactions.
Management strategies can mitigate ecosystem degradation.
Abstract
The Maasai Mara in Kenya, renowned for its biodiversity, is witnessing ecosystem degradation and species endangerment due to intensified human activities. Addressing this, we introduce a dynamic system harmonizing ecological and human priorities. Our agent-based model replicates the Maasai Mara savanna ecosystem, incorporating 71 animal species, 10 human classifications, and 2 natural resource types. The model employs the metabolic rate-mass relationship for animal energy dynamics, logistic curves for animal growth, individual interactions for food web simulation, and human intervention impacts. Algorithms like fitness proportional selection and particle swarm mimic organism preferences for resources. To guide preservation activities, we formulated 21 management strategies encompassing tourism, transportation, taxation, environmental conservation, research, diplomacy, and poaching,…
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Taxonomy
TopicsRangeland Management and Livestock Ecology · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation · Primate Behavior and Ecology
