Object-oriented modelling is a good paradigm for ecological modelling because:

• there’s a close correspondence between the objects in the real world and the objects in the model.

• it reflects the idea that many individuals follow the same rules.

• it enables us to talk about the hierarchical composition of some ecological system.

• it enables us to describe relationships between things (shading, closeness, ownership).

• it enables processes of creation and destruction of things to be represented in a natural way.