Providing useful insights on the use of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) in natural resource management, this book examines a number of empirical applications for several countries and a variety of natural resources. This book gives in-depth analysis of the potential problems in applying MCDA techniques, including difficulties eliciting required information, lack of suitable measures for environmental variables and the need to develop innovative methods to simplify the use of MCDA.

Providing useful insights on the use of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) in natural resource management, this book examines a number of empirical applications for several countries and a variety of natural resources. It is shown that using MCDA in the management of water, forestry, wetland and other natural resources can substantially improve the design and implementation of natural resource and environmental policies. Stakeholder involvement is also an important determinant of successful resource management and MCDA provides a useful and effective framework for getting stakeholders involved in resource management decisions. Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis in Natural Resource Management gives in-depth analysis of the potential problems in applying these techniques, including difficulties eliciting required information, lack of suitable measures for environmental variables and the need to develop innovative methods to simplify the use of MCDA.

Providing useful insights on the use of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) in natural resource management, this book examines a number of empirical applications for several countries and a variety of natural resources. It is shown that using MCDA in the management of water, forestry, wetland and other natural resources can substantially improve the design and implementation of natural resource and environmental policies. Stakeholder involvement is also an important determinant of successful resource management and MCDA provides a useful and effective framework for getting stakeholders involved in resource management decisions. Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis in Natural Resource Management gives in-depth analysis of the potential problems in applying these techniques, including difficulties eliciting required information, lack of suitable measures for environmental variables and the need to develop innovative methods to simplify the use of MCDA.

This book is intended for use by natural resource managers and scientists, and students in the fields of natural resource management, ecology, and conservation biology, who are confronted with complex and difficult decision making problems. The book takes readers through the process of developing a structured approach to decision making, by firstly deconstructing decisions into component parts, which are each fully analyzed and then reassembled to form a working decision model. The book integrates common-sense ideas about problem definitions, such as the need for decisions to be driven by explicit objectives, with sophisticated approaches for modeling decision influence and incorporating feedback from monitoring programs into decision making via adaptive management. Numerous worked examples are provided for illustration, along with detailed case studies illustrating the authors’ experience in applying structured approaches. There is also a series of detailed technical appendices. An accompanying website provides computer code and data used in the worked examples. Additional resources for this book can be found at: www.wiley.com/go/conroy/naturalresourcemanagement.

Decision making in land management involves preferential selection among competing alternatives. Often, such choices are difficult owing to the complexity of the decision context. Because the analytic hierarchy process (AHP, developed by Thomas Saaty in the 1970s) has been successfully applied to many complex planning, resource allocation, and priority setting problems in business, energy, health, marketing, natural resources, and transportation, more applications of the AHP in natural resources and environmental sciences are appearing regularly. This realization has prompted the authors to collect some of the important works in this area and present them as a single volume for managers and scholars. Because land management contains a somewhat unique set of features not found in other AHP application areas, such as site-specific decisions, group participation and collaboration, and incomplete scientific knowledge, this text fills a void in the literature on management science and decision analysis for forest resources.

The use of a multi-criteria, decision-making theory was first studied in the 1970s. Its application in civil and environmental engineering is a new approach which can be enormously helpful for manufacturing companies, students, managers, engineers, etc. The purpose of this book is to provide a resource for students and researchers that includes current application of a multi-criteria, decision-making theory in various fields such as: environment, healthcare and engineering. In addition, practical application are shown for students manually. In real life problems there are many critical parameters (criteria) that can directly or indirectly affect the consequences of different decisions. Application of a multi-criteria, decision-making theory is basically the use of computational methods that incorporate several criteria and order of preference in evaluating and selecting the best option among many alternatives based on the desired outcome.

Provides and analyzes real examples of how structured decision making (SDM) can help solve complex problems involving natural resources. When faced with complicated, potentially controversial decisions that affect our environment, many resource management agencies have come to realize the value of structured decision making (SDM)—the systematic use of principles and tools of decision analysis. Few professionals, however, have extensive experience implementing SDM. Structured Decision Making provides key information to both current adopters of the method and those who are deploying it for the first time by demonstrating the formal use of decision analysis to support difficult, real-world natural resource management decisions. Drawing on case studies from multiple public agencies in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Mauritius, the editors present an overview of decision analysis, a classification of decision types, and a catalog of decision analysis methods. Dozens of detailed charts and maps help contextualize the material. These case studies examine a rich variety of topics, including • keeping forest birds free from disease • conserving imperiled freshwater mussels • managing water for oil sands mining • dealing with coastal wetlands in the face of sea-level rise • designing networks for prairie-dependent taxa • combatting invasive alpine shrubs • managing vernal pool habitats for obligate amphibian species • and much more Aimed at decision makers tackling natural resource challenges in government agencies around the world, as well as advanced undergraduate and graduate students preparing to work in natural resource management, Structured Decision Making shows how SDM can be implemented to achieve optimal outcomes that integrate social values and scientific understanding. Contributors: Taber D. Allison, Larissa L. Bailey, Ellen A. Bean, Clint W. Boal, Gregory Breese, Stefano Canessa, Jean Fitts Cochrane, Sarah J. Converse, Cami S. Dixon, John G. Ewen, Christelle Ferrière, Jill J. Gannon, Beth Gardner, Adam W. Green, Justin A. Gude, Victoria M. Hunt, Kevin S. Kalasz, Melinda G. Knutson, Jim Kraus, Graham Long, Eric V. Lonsdorf, James E. Lyons, Conor P. McGowan, Sarah E. McRae, Michael S. Mitchell, Clinton T. Moore, Joslin L. Moore, Steven Morey, Dan W. Ohlson, Charlie Pascoe, Andrew Paul, Eben H. Paxton, Lori B. Pruitt, Michael C. Runge, Sarah N. Sells, Terry L. Shaffer, Stephanie Slade, David R. Smith, Jennifer A. Szymanski, Terry Walshe, Nicolas Zuël