Complementary use of the Ecosystem Service Concept and Multi-criteria Decision Analysis in Water Management

Abstract

The ecosystem service (ES) concept has increasingly been applied in environmental planning, while there are several decades of experience in applying multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in complex planning situations. The aim of this article is to assess how the ES concept has been used in water management projects together with MCDA and to examine the experiences gained and make recommendations to overcome any identified challenges. Our conclusions are based on a systematic analysis of 23 articles that were selected among 206 articles focused on water-related studies using, for example, the terms multi-criteria and ecosystem services in the title, abstract or keywords. Here, we explore (i) at what level of detail ESs are included in the decision hierarchy, (ii) the pros and cons of the complementary use of the two approaches, and (iii) how the potential challenges related to the use of MCDA, such as the large number of criteria, double-counting, or assigning criteria weights, are addressed in the selected cases. The results reveal large differences between the case studies. It is shown that only a few case studies used ES categories to classify criteria in the decision hierarchy, that these cases included different numbers of ES criteria and non-ES criteria, and that most case studies elicited stakeholder preferences in MCDA. Although the paper focuses on water management projects, the conclusions regarding the advantages and pitfalls of the complementary use of the methods, as well as our recommendations, are also applicable to other environmental management contexts.

Assessing ecosystem services of mountain lakes

“…To this end, multi-criteria (decision) analysis (MCA) is considered a suitable framework (Langemeyer et al, 2016;Saarikoski et al, 2016), and is increasingly applied in water-related management contexts (e.g. Castro-Pardo et al, 2021;Martínez-López et al, 2019;Marttunen et al, 2022). Drawing on such approaches, this article presents a conceptual framework for ES valuation in the context of mountain lakes using the PROMETH-EE method.…”

Integrating Ecosystem Services into Risk Assessments for Drinking Water Protection

“…One way to consider the weighting of services is by using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). Marttunen et al [41] present an overview of how MCDA can complement ecosystem service assessments in water management. Another possibility is to consider how protective measures affect the benefits provided by water system services and estimate the change in economic value to society, according to the cascade model in Figure 1.…”

Multi-criteria decision analysis framework for engaging stakeholders in river pollution risk management

“…They have also included non-structural BMPs, for instance, animal waste management 7 , advanced tillage systems 8 , nutrient management plans 8 , 9 , pesticide management plans 10 , planned grazing systems on pasture and rangeland 9 , erosion control 11 , and public education 9 . While the structural and non-structural management plans have been well studied, their implementation is often inhibited by limited resources, multiple conflicting criteria, cost effectiveness, and technical feasibility under specific circumstances 12 , 13 .…”

“…Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) has found extensive application in water resource management. It offers a systematic and transparent approach that can be trusted to acknowledge stakeholder values 13 . For instance, MCDA has been utilised to prioritise vulnerable areas within catchments, evaluate ecosystem services 13 , facilitate stakeholder engagement 16 , and optimise rainwater harvesting strategies 17 .…”

“…It offers a systematic and transparent approach that can be trusted to acknowledge stakeholder values 13 . For instance, MCDA has been utilised to prioritise vulnerable areas within catchments, evaluate ecosystem services 13 , facilitate stakeholder engagement 16 , and optimise rainwater harvesting strategies 17 . MCDA provides a comprehensive means to evaluate water resource management from a social, economic, technical, and ecological perspectives 18 .…”