Simple movement rules result in ideal free distribution of mobile pastoralists

Moritz, Mark; Hamilton, Ian M.; Yoak, Andrew J.; Scholte, Paul; Cronley, Jeff; Maddock, Paul; Pi, Hongyang

doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2015.03.010

Cited by 36 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Nevertheless, as several recent studies have shown (MacOpiyo, 2005;Moritz et al, 2015), this method can be fruitfully applied to the direct modeling of spatial behavior and interactions of pastoralists. Specifically, ABM can be a useful and effective tool for studying pastoral mobility for the following reasons.…”

Section: Agent-based Modeling (Abm) Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the growing appreciation of mobility and the increasing volume of data, however, the progress in the literature has been seriously constrained in one important respect: there are few theoretical models that explicitly address pastoral mobility (see Dyson-Hudson & Smith, 1978;Ermon et al, 2015;Moritz et al, 2015 for relevant works). There is a distinct lack of behavioral models of pastoralists that can generate coherent explanations and understanding of the various empirical observations and insights obtained in the literature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mobility and Sustainability: A Computational Model of African Pastoralists

Sakamoto¹

2016

JMS

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This article offers a simple computational model of mobile pastoralists. Employing an agent-based modeling (ABM) approach, the model explicitly simulates the movement patterns of pastoralists and computes the resultant natural resource access for a landscape that shows the typically unpredictable dynamics of African rangeland ecology. Extensive simulations reveal a striking level of efficiency in the exploitation of resource endowments that mobile pastoralists can achieve in otherwise inhospitable environments. The simulations also illuminate the serious welfare consequences of the disruption of pastoral mobility under tight land constraints. These quantitative results are consistent with the rich qualitative evidence from the empirical literature on African pastoralism. Moreover, the article reports on several sets of 'policy experiments' that evaluate the effect of rangeland interventions on the mobility and livelihoods of pastoralists. These endeavors will pave the way for empirically richer and more policy-relevant analyses of dryland pastoralism.

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Section: Agent-based Modeling (Abm) Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobility and Sustainability: A Computational Model of African Pastoralists

Sakamoto¹

2016

JMS

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“…Second, we used spatial methods to document an ideal free distribution of pastoralists in the floodplain (Moritz et al 2014a,b). Third, we used agent-based modeling to show that it is relatively easy for pastoralists making independent movement decisions to achieve an ideal free distribution at the population level (Moritz et al 2015a). Fourth, we showed that economic inequality did not undermine the system of open access (Moritz et al 2015b).…”

Section: Longitudinal Study Of a Pastoral Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Misreading a pastoral property regime in the Logone floodplain, Cameroon

Moritz¹

2017

E&S

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ABSTRACT. This is a response to an article by Haller et al. (2013) in Ecology and Society titled "How fit turns into misfit and back: institutional transformations of pastoral commons in African floodplains." In this response, I argue that Haller et al.'s description of the pastoralists' management of common-pool grazing resources in the Logone floodplain of Cameroon is incorrect in a number of ways. I summarize the findings from our longitudinal and interdisciplinary study to show that current pastoralists' management of common-pool grazing resources in the floodplain is efficient, equitable, and sustainable. Specifically, ecological research contradicts Haller et al.'s proposition that resource degradation is due to overgrazing in a situation of open access. This is an important point to clarify because pastoralists are often wrongly accused of overgrazing the range.

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“…This is also noted by Fernández-Giménez and Le Febre, who argue that "despite the reams of literature on pastoral societies and production systems, we still have relatively little understanding of how these institutions work" (2006,357). We have argued that these open property regimes work as complex adaptive systems (Moritz et al 2013a(Moritz et al , 2014a(Moritz et al , 2015a.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second, we used spatial methods to document an ideal free distribution of pastoralists in the floodplain (Moritz et al 2014a(Moritz et al , 2014b. Third, we used agent-based modeling to show that it is relatively easy for pastoralists making independent movement decisions to achieve an ideal free distribution at the population level (Moritz et al 2015a). Fourth, we showed that economic inequality did not undermine the system of open access (Moritz et al 2015b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%