Simulating the Future of Venetian Clams

Join Our Collaborative Talk at AnyLogic 2025

The Venice Lagoon is not only a world heritage site but also home to a crucial industry: Manila clam harvesting. This vital economic and ecological resource is facing an unprecedented threat from climate change, with rising water temperatures posing a significant risk to the clam population’s survival.

How can we predict the long-term impact and help safeguard this industry?

Decision Lab is proud to have supported researchers from the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice in tackling this very question. We invite you to join us at the AnyLogic Conference 2025 for an insightful presentation on their groundbreaking work.

The Presentation: A Hybrid Model for a Complex Problem

Federico Cornacchia and Dr. Sebastian Raimondo of FEEM will present their project:

‘Climate Risk in Provisioning Ecosystem Services: An Explorative Hybrid Model of Adaptive Behaviour in Clam Harvesting’.

Their research showcases a powerful hybrid simulation model built in AnyLogic that explores the complex interplay between environmental changes and human behaviour. The model combines:

• System Dynamics: To simulate the biological life cycle of the clams, including their growth, population dynamics, and mortality rates linked to rising water temperatures.
• Agent-Based Modelling: To simulate the decision-making of individual clam harvesters, who must constantly weigh market prices against the growing thermal risk to their stock.

This is a fantastic opportunity to see how advanced modelling techniques can provide tangible insights into the economic viability of an entire sector and support decision-making for resource managers under climate uncertainty.

Our Collaborative Role

At Decision Lab, we are passionate about using simulation to solve real-world problems. We were delighted to contribute to this important project, with our own Adam Coleman providing technical AnyLogic support and bespoke training from our Learning Lab to the FEEM research team. This collaboration highlights the power of sharing expertise to drive innovation in climate adaptation strategies.

Meet the Speakers

The presentation will be led by two distinguished researchers from FEEM:

• Federico Cornacchia: A researcher pursuing his PhD in Science and Management of Climate Change. Federico specialises in modelling complex socio-ecosystems, with a focus on adaptive natural resource management and sustainability.
• Dr. Sebastian Raimondo: An environmental engineer and complex systems scientist. Dr. Raimondo is in charge of developing mathematical modelling tools to support decision-making for climate change adaptation strategies.

Join Us at the Conference

Don’t miss this compelling look into the future of climate adaptation modelling.

• Event: The AnyLogic Conference 2025
• Title: Climate Risk in Provisioning Ecosystem Services: An Explorative Hybrid Model of Adaptive Behaviour in Clam Harvesting
• Speakers: Federico Cornacchia & Dr. Sebastian Raimondo
• Date & Time: 9 September 2025, 12:30 BST (UTC+1)
• Location: Online

We look forward to seeing you there and exploring how simulation can help us build a more resilient future. And, don’t miss our other presentation at the conference this year: Engineering the Antifragile Supply Chain.

The work will also be presented in Salerno on Thursday 23 October 2025 at the conference SISC2025: Innovation in climate research for societal transformation in the session Governing for Climate Resilience. More info on the Società Italiana per le Scienze del Clima (SISC) conference website.