Multicriteria evaluation for protected area definition aiming at water quality improvement

Kaline de Mello, Danilo Ribeiro da Costa, Roberta Averna Valente, Carlos Alberto Vettorazzi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)
55 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This study aimed to define potential areas for forest conservation to improve water quality, using Multicriteria Evaluation (MCE); and to verify differences between results from a multidisciplinary group of experts. We worked with the Pirapora River Watershed, Piedade/SP. The participatory method was used to identify the criteria and their relative importance. Priority maps representing expert opinion were elaborated, as well as a map with average weight values. We compared the differences between the criteria weight values and the maps of priority areas. The maps proposed distinct spatialization of priority areas, supporting the understanding of criteria that influence the decision-making process. The highest priority level was associated with areas near to springs, forest patches, and with the highest slope values. We concluded that the MCE is an efficient method to identify priority areas; however, the selection of an expert group is an essential step to generate representative analyses.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere20160134
JournalFloresta e Ambiente
Volume25
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This study was supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, process number 2013-03586-6).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ).

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