A critical review of multi-criteria decision making in protected areas

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Multi-criteria analysis in collaborative decision making can provide a useful tool to improve the governance in protected areas with strong conflicts between stakeholders. This paper offers an in-depth review about MCDM methods in protected areas. The analysis considers the topics Land Use, Management, Species, and Zoning and it is based in two dimensions: Methods and Participation. Topics and MCDM methods and Topics and Participation were significantly related and contrasted using a Chisquared test, respectively. We have identified two groups by topics: Zoning and Species use continuous non participative methods and Land Use and Management use discrete methods with increasing participation. KEYWORDS:Collaborative Decision-Making, Multi-criteria analysis, protected areas. Una revisión crítica de la toma de decisiones multi-criterio en áreas protegidas RESUMEN:El análisis multi-criterio para toma de decisiones colaborativa ofrece una herramienta útil para mejorar la gobernanza en áreas protegidas, con fuertes conflictos de intereses entre agentes. Este artículo ofrece una revisión en profundidad sobre métodos MCDM en áreas protegidas. El análisis considera los temas Uso de la tierra, Gestión, Especies y Zonificación, y se basa en dos dimensiones: Mé-todos y Participación. Los Temas y las Técnicas MCDM y los Temas y la Participación están significativamente correlacionados respectivamente según un test Chi-cuadrado. Hemos identificado dos grupos: Especies y Zonificación usan métodos continuos no participativos y Uso de la tierra y Gestión, utilizan métodos discretos donde la participación es creciente. PALABRAS CLAVE:Análisis multi-criterio, áreas protegidas, toma de decisiones colaborativa.

A Multiple Criteria Decision Making Approach to Designing Teaching Plans in Higher Education Institutions

“…This methodology uses a mixed multi-criteria analysis: the voting analytic hierarchy process (VAHP). Multi-criteria analysis provides rigor to the participative decision-making processes [50,51]. On the other hand, voting methods allow aggregation in a simple way, regarding individual preferences in only one global assessment [52].…”

Planning for Democracy in Protected Rural Areas: Application of a Voting Method in a Spanish-Portuguese Reserve

“…In this line, multi-criteria analysis has been widely used to solve conflicts by means of participatory models. The most commonly used multi-criteria methods for planning protected areas are discrete methods based on hierarchies, such as the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) [2]. Yet these techniques are often complex, especially when a large number of criteria are considered [45].…”

“…Forty seven of the latter are located in Zamora and 12 in Salamanca. The total territory has an area of 1,132,607 hectares and a population density of 14 inhabitants per km 2 . This territory is located between the Mediterranean and Eurosiberian biogeographical regions (Figure 1) near the Atlantic coast and the climate is temperate sub-Mediterranean oceanic [46].…”

“…The environmental protection of these spaces imposes restrictions associated with the use of resources and toughens the regulation of decision-making processes. These two problems: Use and decision restrictions make the planning of protected rural areas complex [2]. Restrictions on the use of natural resources have traditionally been a source of conflict between different stakeholders with land interests.…”

“…In this regard, there is an increasing concern to improve participatory processes in protected areas. Specifically, most conflicts have traditionally been generated by decision-making problems related to the use and management of natural resources, and for this reason, a greater effort has been devoted to the implementation of different participatory processes seeking to resolve them [2]. There is a large number of methodologies that integrate individual preferences but, in order to ensure the full participation of all stakeholders, it is important that such methodologies are simple to comprehend and apply.…”