landProtection.xml

The protect sub-command of GCAM tool (gt) generates XML input files for GCAM that “protect” land by removing it from consideration by the model as a productive land area. It reads a single XML input file that defines one or protection scenarios, which can specify the fraction the original land area in any combination of {Shrubland, Grassland, UnmanagedPasture, UnmanagedForest}, by region or groups of regions.

Command-line usage is documented on the gt protect page. The landProtection.xml file elements are described below.

XML elements

The elements that comprise the project.xml file are described below.

<landProtection>

The top-most element, <landProtection>, encloses one or more <group> or <scenario> elements.

<group>

Attribute	Required	Default	Values
name	yes	(none)	text

The <group> element assigns a name to a set of regions (each defined in a <region> element or other groups so they can be referred to in land protection scenarios.

For example, we can define a group called Europe consisting of all the GCAM European regions as follows:

<group name="Europe">
   <region>EU-12</region>
   <region>EU-15</region>
   <region>Europe_Eastern</region>
   <region>Europe_Non_EU</region>
   <region>European Free Trade Association</region>
</group>

We can also define other groups that refer to existing groups:

<group name="MyGroup">
   <region>Europe</region>
   <region>USA</region>
   <region>China<region>
</group>

For convenience, the group Global is defined by the script; it contains all 32 GCAM regions.

<scenario>

Attribute	Required	Default	Values
name	yes	(none)	text

A <scenario> element assigns a name to a set of <protectedRegion> elements.

<protectedRegion>

Attribute	Required	Default	Values
name	yes	(none)	text

A <protectedRegion> element contains one or more <protection> nodes, and assigns these to the region given by the name attribute.

Regions are processed in the order defined. Any redefinition of a protection in a region overwrites what was given previously. This allows the use of groups followed by differentiation for individual regions within the group. (See the example XML file, below.)

<protection>

Attribute	Required	Default	Values
fraction	yes	(none)	float

A <protection> element defines the percentage of land of one or more land classes (defined in <landClass> elements) to protect in the region named by the enclosing <protectedRegions> element.

Example landProtection.xml file

This file defines several groups of regions and uses these in a scenario named scen1. See the in-line comments for more details.

<landProtection>
   <!--
   Define a set of groups that we will use in our protection
   scenario definitions.
   -->
   <group name="Developing">
       <region>Africa_Eastern</region>
       <region>Africa_Northern</region>
       <region>Africa_Southern</region>
       <region>Africa_Western</region>
       <region>Central America and Caribbean</region>
       <region>Central Asia</region>
       <region>Colombia</region>
       <region>Middle East</region>
       <region>Pakistan</region>
       <region>South America_Northern</region>
       <region>South America_Southern</region>
       <region>South Asia</region>
       <region>Southeast Asia</region>
   </group>

   <group name="MiddleIncome">
       <region>Brazil</region>
       <region>China</region>
       <region>India</region>
       <region>Indonesia</region>
       <region>Mexico</region>
       <region>South Africa</region>
   </group>

   <!--
   The group "Europe" is not used directly as a protectedRegion, but
   as an element in the definition of group "Developed", below.
   -->
   <group name="Europe">
       <region>EU-12</region>
       <region>EU-15</region>
       <region>Europe_Eastern</region>
       <region>Europe_Non_EU</region>
       <region>European Free Trade Association</region>
   </group>

   <group name="Developed">
       <region>Argentina</region>
       <region>Australia_NZ</region>
       <region>Canada</region>
       <!--
       Group names (e.g., Europe) are expanded to the underlying
       regions
       -->
       <region>Europe</region>
       <region>Japan</region>
       <region>Russia</region>
       <region>South Korea</region>
       <region>Taiwan</region>
       <region>USA</region>
   </group>

   <!-- Define a scenario that uses the groups defined above -->
   <scenario name="scen1">

       <!--
       For developing regions, we will protect half of unmanaged forest and
       pasture and 25% of shrubland and grassland.
       -->
       <protectedRegion name="Developing">
           <protection fraction="0.5">
               <landClass>UnmanagedForest</landClass>
               <landClass>UnmanagedPasture</landClass>
           </protection>
           <protection fraction="0.25">
               <landClass>Shrubland</landClass>
               <landClass>Grassland</landClass>
           </protection>
       </protectedRegion>

       <!-- similarly for middle income regions, with different fractions -->
       <protectedRegion name="MiddleIncome">
           <protection fraction="0.7">
               <landClass>UnmanagedForest</landClass>
               <landClass>UnmanagedPasture</landClass>
           </protection>
           <protection fraction="0.4">
               <landClass>Shrubland</landClass>
               <landClass>Grassland</landClass>
           </protection>
       </protectedRegion>

       <!-- This overrides Brazil's definition in MiddleIncome -->
       <protectedRegion name="Brazil">
           <protection fraction="0.5">
               <landClass>UnmanagedForest</landClass>
           </protection>
           <protection fraction="0.4">
               <landClass>UnmanagedPasture</landClass>
               <landClass>Shrubland</landClass>
               <landClass>Grassland</landClass>
           </protection>
       </protectedRegion>

       <!-- Protect more land in developed regions -->
       <protectedRegion name="Developed">
           <protection fraction="0.9">
               <landClass>UnmanagedForest</landClass>
               <landClass>UnmanagedPasture</landClass>
           </protection>
           <protection fraction="0.5">
               <landClass>Shrubland</landClass>
               <landClass>Grassland</landClass>
           </protection>
       </protectedRegion>
   </scenario>
</landProtection>