Decision making in complex land systems: outline of a holistic theory of agency

IF 4 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ECOLOGY Landscape Ecology Pub Date : 2024-03-12 DOI:10.1007/s10980-024-01822-2

Andreas Aagaard Christensen, Veerle Van Eetvelde

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Abstract

Context

Models of human agency within research on land systems and landscapes do not fully account for social and cultural factors in decision making. Conversely, within social theory, parallel concepts of agency do not fully take biophysical and spatial factors into account. This calls for a synthesis of conceptual models addressing human decision making in land systems.

Objectives

The review identifies parallels between social and ecological perspectives on humans as co-constituent parts of complex land systems. On this basis selected models of agency combining insights from social theory and land systems research are outlined and compared, and improved concepts are outlined.

Methods

Elements of agency in modern agricultural land systems are reviewed. A case study illustrating the application of agency concepts in an analysis of decision making among farmers on the Canterbury Plains (New Zealand) is presented. On this basis it is discussed how to improve understandings of human agency in land systems.

Results

The review identifies and compares parallel conceptions of agency, practice and holism in landscape ecology and social theory. Taking the agency of farmers in contemporary agricultural landscapes as an example, theories currently used to characterise and interpret the agency of farmers are discussed and improvements considered. Potentials for improvement of current conceptual models are indicated and discussed, and an improved model of agency is suggested.

Conclusions

Based on the review, the article presents an improved conceptual model of agency in land systems emphasizing the position of agents in social-ecological contexts of action.

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复杂土地系统中的决策：机构整体理论概要

背景在有关土地系统和景观的研究中，人类机构模型并没有充分考虑到决策过程中的社会和文化因素。相反，在社会理论中，平行的代理概念也没有充分考虑生物物理和空间因素。本综述从社会学和生态学的角度找出了人类作为复杂土地系统共同组成部分的相似之处。在此基础上，对结合了社会理论和土地系统研究见解的代理模式进行了概述和比较，并概述了改进后的概念。方法综述了现代农业土地系统中的代理要素。介绍了一个案例研究，说明代理概念在分析坎特伯雷平原（新西兰）农民决策中的应用。在此基础上，讨论了如何改进对土地系统中人类代理的理解。结果综述确定并比较了景观生态学和社会理论中关于代理、实践和整体性的平行概念。以农民在当代农业景观中的作用为例，讨论了目前用于描述和解释农民作用的理论，并考虑了改进措施。文章指出并讨论了当前概念模型的改进潜力，并提出了一个改进的代理模型。结论在综述的基础上，文章提出了一个改进的土地系统代理概念模型，强调了代理在社会-生态行动背景中的地位。

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来源期刊

Landscape Ecology 环境科学-地球科学综合

CiteScore

8.30

自引率

7.70%

发文量

164

审稿时长

8-16 weeks

期刊介绍： Landscape Ecology is the flagship journal of a well-established and rapidly developing interdisciplinary science that focuses explicitly on the ecological understanding of spatial heterogeneity. Landscape Ecology draws together expertise from both biophysical and socioeconomic sciences to explore basic and applied research questions concerning the ecology, conservation, management, design/planning, and sustainability of landscapes as coupled human-environment systems. Landscape ecology studies are characterized by spatially explicit methods in which spatial attributes and arrangements of landscape elements are directly analyzed and related to ecological processes.