Land-use - WITNESS
Note: The documentation of WITNESS is 'in preparation' and is not yet 'published'!| Corresponding documentation | |
|---|---|
| Previous versions | |
| No previous version available | |
| Model information | |
| Model link | |
| Institution | Open-Source for Climate (OS-C), N/A, https://os-climate.org/transition-analysis/., Linux Foundation (LF), N/A, https://www.linuxfoundation.org/. |
| Solution concept | Systems dynamics based approach |
| Solution method | OptimizationSimulation-based optimization |
| Anticipation | |
More detailed documentation on WITNESS land use model can be found in the module embedded documentation, accessible within the tool or directly consulting the documentation directly in the gitlab Land use model
The crop and livestock calculates the land surface required to feed humanity and the amount of crops that can be used for energy. For food production, it addresses the challenge of producing enough food on limited land for a large population by testing different diets and computing the necessary agricultural land area. For energy, it ensures that crop production for biomass does not compete with food production, calculating biomass yield based on investment and available land.
The forest model tracks global forest surface evolution, wood harvested, and CO2 captured by dividing the forest into managed, protected, and unmanaged parts. Managed forests are for long-term biomass production, protected forests are legally preserved, and unmanaged forests can be altered by human activities. Reforestation increases unmanaged forest surface, deforestation reduces it, and managed wood production involves long-term biomass management. These activities collectively impact the global forest surface and biomass production.
In addition, an agriculture model aims to answer to the following question: Given a food diet for humanity, how much space do we need to to feed everyone ? This model allows to test different food diets, and computes the agriculture surface needed to produce enough food to feed all human beings.