In this board game night, we’re going to focus on only one game: Fish Banks. The game was developed by Dennis L. Meadows, one of the authors of the book Limits to Growth. FishBanks is a web-based simulation in the form of a board game. The playing teams are key decision-makers of major fishing companies around the world, who are trying to run a business that is as prosperous as possible for as long as possible, while they also compete against other companies and deal with variations in weather and fish stocks.
The game will help you understand the careful and efficient use of natural resources. Renewable natural resources are essential elements of our environment and economy, providing a wide range of benefits. These resources include renewable energy sources, such as sunlight, wind, and hydropower, as well as biological resources like forests, fisheries, and crops. Protection and sustainable use of renewable resources are key to ensuring their long-term availability, but before going into conservation efforts and responsible harvesting practices it is necessary to understand the basic functioning of these systems.
Renewable resources have their characteristics: the size of the stock, the cost of access, and the dynamics of renewal. Some resources, such as solar and wind energy are practically inexhaustible, while some others, like forests, can take years or even decades to regenerate fully after harvesting. Depletion of renewable resources occurs when their extraction exceeds the natural renewal rates: overfishing, deforestation, and excessive water consumption are some common examples of depletion, but we can also think of the depletion of less tangible, but not less important resources such as trust, enthusiasm, and social inclusion. A particular challenge is to ensure the sustainable use of resources shared by many, the so-called commons so that the needs of the present do not reduce the opportunities of either contemporary users or future generations.
If you are eager to try your hand at managing a major fishing company and feel you have the business talent to make your company thrive, or just want to learn about renewable resources and public goods, sign up! The event is targeted especially at students, but we welcome everyone interested.
Some snacks will be provided for participants. The exact location will be informed to participants before the event.
