SSC · School of Systems & Complexity

03 — When order emerges

The Commons

When does a shared resource remain healthy — and when does it collapse?

Try this: choose Heavy pressure, then Play. Lower fishing pressure before the lake empties.

Fish in the lake: remaining stock · Peach catch marks: each boat’s harvest · Green ripples: new fish
Start with

Try this: choose Heavy pressure, then Play. Lower fishing pressure before the lake empties.

Paused

Capacity and fisher count restart the lake. Other rules change live. Symbols represent quantities, not individual fish.

Fish remaining —

Lake condition —

Caught this round —

New fish this round —

Fish remaining over time

What to notice

Boats share one lake, but their catches differ. Fish regenerate while fishers harvest. Compare the abundant and fragile lakes, then change pressure mid-run. In Communication helps?, turn sharing off and compare from Reset. Information helps fishers adjust; it cannot create fish faster than the lake renews them.

Why it matters

A commons depends on renewal, incentives and timely feedback. Restraint can arrive too late. The rules permit recovery, sustained use and collapse; cooperation does not guarantee success. Once every fish is gone, this simplified lake needs a reset.