Trends in Coupled Human-Environment Systems Modelling: A Scoping Review

Classical environmental models assume the influence of humans on environmental systems is constant. However, human and environmental systems respond to one another. As such, coupled human-environment systems (CHES) models have been developed and are becoming more widely studied. In this review, we analyze CHES modelling techniques and study systems over a decade (May 2009-April 2019). We utilized the PRISMA method to filter publications from both Web of Knowledge and PUBMED, yielding 92 relevant papers for our review. Publications more than doubled from the 5-year interval May 2009-December 2013 (28/92) to the 5-year interval January 2014-April 2019 (64/92). CHES models typically used either differential equations (DEs) (44/92) or agent-based models (ABMs) (28/92). We organized the included literature with respect to the technique used to represent human behaviour. We noticed a diversity of approaches in this respect, but primarily optimization techniques (28/92) and game theory (34/92). We noticed a substantial increase in publications using more highly structured models in the second 5-year interval. We attribute this to reduced technological barriers to developing more detailed models, and greater data availability. We discuss the realism of the models and their ability to capture real-world dynamics. Finally, we explore avenues for future research, and discuss unconventional routes such as online communities and artificial intelligence modelling to expand representation of human behaviour in CHES models.