FN-LUVM

The First Nation Land Use Voting Model (FN‑LUVM) is a community‑focused decision‑support model that helps explore how members of a First Nation might respond to different land‑use options. It is an agent‑based model, which means it represents individual community members as “agents” who each have their own perspectives, knowledge, and priorities. These agents learn from one another, form opinions, and ultimately decide whether they would support a proposed land‑use plan.
The model is informed by real community input. In its initial development, researchers worked with Curve Lake First Nation and used data from a detailed land‑use survey completed by community members. This survey captured people’s values, their knowledge about land‑use planning, and their views on stewardship, development, and collaboration. These insights shape how the agents behave in the model, making the simulation grounded in lived experience rather than abstract assumptions.
FN‑LUVM can be applied in several practical ways. Communities can use it to explore “what‑if” scenarios—such as how support for a land‑use plan might change if more people had access to planning information, if cultural stewardship values were strengthened, or if community engagement increased. It can also help identify which groups or knowledge holders play key roles in shaping community understanding. Although the first version was built with Curve Lake First Nation, the model is designed to be adapted so other communities can reflect their own traditions, governance structures, and planning priorities.
Overall, FN‑LUVM is a tool that supports dialogue, education, and informed decision‑making, helping communities explore pathways toward land‑use plans that balance cultural values, environmental stewardship, and future development goals.

For further information about the First Nation Land Use Voting Model (FN-LUVM), see the paper:
Development of an agent-based First Nation land use voting model: Experiments in policy adoption at Curve Lake First Nation, Canada
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4238-2856

also see: Robert A Fligg, PhD thesis:
First Nation land and well-being:
http://hdl.handle.net/10012/20397