Agricultural policies and the emergence of voluntary landscape enhancement efforts: an exploratory analysis of rural tourism using an agent-based model

Abstract

Conservation and enhancement of ecosystem services have become a priority of rural policies. Feedback loops from rural policies on ecosystem service supply have often been highlighted in the literature, but only vaguely investigated. In this paper, we model feedback loops from rural policies through an agent-based model, and we analyse whether feedback loops can indirectly create a system in which voluntarily landscape enhancement emerges from the interactions between farmers and rural tourists. The results suggest that, in certain conditions, feedback loops from policies can be a relevant element to take into account, but that greater attention to the ecosystem service demand is required.

Keywords:

• agent-based model
• rural tourism
• agri-environmental payment

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the three anonymous reviewers whose comments greatly improved the paper. One of the authors is particularly grateful to the “Center for the Study of Institutional Diversity” at the Arizona State University for the hospitality and the possibility to study agent-based modelling. The content of the paper is solely the responsibility of the authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

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Funding

“CLAIM – Supporting the role of the Common agricultural policy in LAndscape valorisation: Improving the knowledge base of the contribution of landscape Management to the rural economy”: Seventh Research Framework Programme, FP7/2007–2013 [Grant Number 289578]. This work does not necessarily reflect the view of the European Union and in no way anticipates the Commission's future policy in this area.