Randomised land use pathway generation allows efficient multi-outcome appraisal
Abstract Land use scenario modelling with multi-criteria evaluation is an important tool for identifying integrated solutions to challenges such as biodiversity loss, climate change, and food production. Ideally, such models should identify efficient solutions from a large set of potential futures....
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Main Authors: | , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-06-01
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Series: | Scientific Reports |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00919-1 |
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Summary: | Abstract Land use scenario modelling with multi-criteria evaluation is an important tool for identifying integrated solutions to challenges such as biodiversity loss, climate change, and food production. Ideally, such models should identify efficient solutions from a large set of potential futures. Here, we generate 10,000 random future land use pathways for the UK, with each pathway deploying a randomly-drawn quantity of eight land-based climate change mitigation measures. We show that there are multiple paths to a net zero UK land sector, with wide-ranging impacts on food production and habitat availability for breeding birds. Whilst trade-offs are inherent, we identify pathways which are more efficient than a previous exercise which considered a more limited set of futures. We also explore the consequences of achieving efficiency at different spatial or governance scales, showing that whilst UK-scale decision-making is slightly more efficient, it results in less equitable outcomes than decision-making at devolved nation scales. |
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ISSN: | 2045-2322 |