Mejanjeu

A role-game based on a simplified version of the Mejan model

Michel Etienne (Inra), Christophe Le Page (Cirad)

The Mejan role-game aims at stimulating farmers, foresters and nature rangers to react to natural vegetation dynamics supposed to occur in a near future. It is based on a representation of a natural area near enough of reality to permit to the players to feel at home but far enough of that reality to stay in a neutral context and to avoid local conflicts. The role-game is built upon the coupling between a simplified MAS and a GIS that permits to rapidly edit thematic maps at different scales.

In the simplified agent-based model used as a support for the role-game, only space and time scales are modified, the pine dynamics rules and the sensitivity of plant and animal species to changes in their habitat being similar to the Mejan agent-based model. The participants playing the role of the farmers decide where and how much to graze according to their production system and the level of pine encroachment of the paddocks. The participants playing the role of the nature rangers decide where are the major conservation spots and define their best strategy to control pine encroachment. The participants playing the role of the foresters define the primary objectives of the wooded areas and propose a management and exploitation plan of these woodlands. At the end of each round, a short negotiation is hold in order to decide where to operate, with which technique and who does the work. A set of cartographic representations of the impact of the negotiated operations on the dynamics of the natural resources is provided to support the decisions made during the following round.

The minimal configuration of the role-game is 4 farmer-players facing 2 forester-players and 2 nature ranger-players. It has only been used with real local managers and farmers playing their real role, that is the reason why each production system must be represented. Similarly, fauna and flora viewpoints must be dissociated because they do not use similar evaluation scales. The role-game permits an easy access to the formalisation of the interaction between agents and warranties a rapid understanding of the pine encroachment process. Overall, it gives a total liberty to the players to invent operation strategies and negotiation tactics in order to hit their targets and to find a compromise between the agent who suffer from pine encroachment and agents who are the source of the process.

The output of the role-game is crucial because it is the only way to build up new but realistic behaviours and practice adaptations of farmers and nature rangers in front of a biological process they have nor still been confronted with.

Image " jeu " : photo utilisation Mejan par agriculteurs Image " cormas " : carte exploitation vs carte faune et flore Figure ; travaux

For more information, contact the author.