Simulated experiments with complex sustainable systems: Ecology and technology

The concept of sustainability is associated with the statement from the World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987: ".. development that meets the needs and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability to meet those of the future..." However, this statement lacks a practical environmental management strategy. The goal of a sustainable management strategy is to promote the structure and operation of the human component of a system (society, economy, technology, etc.) in such a manner as to reinforce the persistence of the structures and operation of the natural component (i.e., the ecosystem). We report on our efforts to identify the characteristics of sustainable systems with a simulation model that comprises an ecological food web and a simple, abstract industrial sector. We consider three different industry types, each taking different combinations of inputs from agriculture, natural resource extraction and harvesting of a wild animal species. We explore several scenarios including halving industrial efficiency, doubling the throughput of the industrial process (IP), and doubling the wastefulness of production. We present the results with the aid of a summary measure based on information theory. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.