So far the tradeoffs involved have been subject to mainly qualitative discussions on how to find some kind of acceptable compromise. The outcome of these discussions is often strongly biased depending on the strength of the actors, where those representing the economical side often have the upper hand. Some more quantitative and mathematical approaches also exist (e.g. optimization theory). Although representing an opportunity for a more unbiased outcome, they easily become very complex problems to solve mathematically and depend on the details of how the problem is formulated. 

An approach so far not explored, is to view land-use conflicts as a "game". Computer games have the potential to include many variables and complex sets of algorithms and could with better clarity illustrate the effects of the choices made by the "player". To set up such a game requires expertise both in gaming and specific knowledge of the land-use conflict itself. The visualization of the game and the outcome is critical if the results are to be possible to access for people not specialized in the field.  

More about the project and goals
Forests cover about 1/3 of the European land area and are a key resource for a large industry. At the same time forests represent important areas for biodiversity (plants and animals) and contain many cultural and social values – values that are threatened by large scale industrial forestry. As such it represents a clear example on land use conflicts. Here, new tools based on gaming could help to at least illustrate some of the key challenges. 

A computer game is to be developed that include a larger forest landscape (real or imaginary) where different management units should be assigned to a treatment category which then influence the value from economical, environmental and social aspects. The identification of these values and the management options is a part of the project. These will then need to be incorporated in a gaming environment with input and output variables. Finally an interface to the "player" needs to be developed.

Study areas
This project targets a number of different study areas. While each study area contributes with an individual expertise to the project outcome, interaction between the study areas is required in order to achieve a successful project result. A dream team for the project should include students with skills in ecology (forest biodiversity), game developer (game designer), programmer, designer, pedagogy, business.

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Contact
Bengt Gunnar Jonsson, Mid Sweden University
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