Ecosystems such as the atmosphere, forests, soil, inland water masses or oceans are characterized by fragile balances, they interact with each other and are affected by anthropogenic activities. Frequently, human activities give rise to a series of negative effects that put at risk the sustainability of the multiple resources and services that ecosystems have to offer and which are essential for both economic development and well-being of society. Policies are often used to preserve the resources and services of these ecosystems, but their complexity can lead to undesirable effects while policy goals are not always aligned and can have contradictory effects.

To improve the design of policies related to ecosystem resources and services, this project aims to study (1) the interdependencies and interferences between different policies and (2) the interactions between agents.