When economy meets ecology, is it truly conflicted? A dashboard approach to assess the sustainability performance of European tropical tuna purse seine fisheries.

The development of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management makes the assessment of the sustainability performance of fisheries a priority. This study examines European tropical tuna purse seine fleets as a case study, employing a multidisciplinary dashboard approach to evaluate historical and current sustainability performances. The aim is to enhance comprehension of the interconnected dimensions of sustainability and pinpoint management policy priorities. Using 18 indicators, we assessed the environmental, economic and social sustainability performances of European tropical tuna purse seine fleets, comparing them with other industrial tropical tuna fishing fleets in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The analysis also explored the temporal trend of sustainability performance for European tuna purse seiners from 2009 to 2019. Our results suggest that, compared with gillnetters and longliners, purse seiners and baitboats have a greater species-based selectivity, thereby catching fewer endangered, threatened or protected species, but a lower mature tuna catch rate, thus capturing more juveniles. We identify likely gaps in bycatch data reported by fishing on fish aggregating devices (FADs), due to results regarding selectivity and discard rates that appear inconsistent in the light of the scientific literature. The greater use of FADs, likely caused by the global tuna market, by purse seiner seems result in decreased ecological performances, as suggested by an increased carbon footprint per tonne landed. At the same time, it implies a better economic performance on the short-term, with higher net profit, energy efficiency (fuel consumed relative to monetary value created) and catch. For our case study, Ecology and Economy might seem to be in conflict for short-term perspective. However, consideration of the long-term impacts of FAD fishing and market incentives for fishing on free schools should lead purse seiner fleets to reduce drifting FAD fishing and promote more sustainable fishing practices.

Integrating meteorological and geospatial data for forest fire risk assessment.

Understanding the factors that cause fire is crucial for minimizing the fire risk. In this research, a comprehensive approach was adopted to recognize factors influencing forest fires. Golestan National Park (GNP) was considered as a representative area with a humid climate in this study. Initially, using the Multi-Criteria Evaluation Method, a fire risk map was created by analyzing natural and human factors, and vulnerable areas were identified. Then, the relationship between key elements such as meteorological conditions, Land Surface Temperature (LST), and precipitation, with the occurrence of fire in different years was investigated. CHIRPS and Landsat data were utilized to assess LST changes and precipitation. 23-year changes in fire occurrence areas in GNP were acquired using MODIS products. The results of the data analysis showed that the highest number of fires occurred in forest areas, and in the fire risk prediction map, the extremely high-risk class is completely consistent with the ground truth data. The assigned weights, derived from expert opinions, highlight the substantial significance of elevation, and distance from roads and settlements. Additionally, the effectiveness of the model in providing reliable forecasts for fire risks in GNP is highlighted by the ROC curve with an AUC value of 0.83. Forest fires within GNP exhibit a distinct seasonality, predominantly occurring from July to December. During the warmer months, by coinciding with summer excursions, human activities may contribute to the ignition of fires. In 2013 and 2014, rising fire incidents correlated with elevated temperatures, hinting at a potential connection. GNP fires showed an upward trend with higher monthly LST and a downward trend with increased annual precipitation. The results showed that there is a relationship between LST, precipitation, and the occurrence of fire in GNP. Approximately 176.15 ha of GNP's forest areas have been destroyed by fires over the last two decades. This research demonstrated that there is a dynamic interaction between environmental conditions and fire incidents. By considering these factors, managers and environmental planners can develop effective strategies for managing and preventing forest fire risks.

Towards a better psychological satisfaction: developing a mixed multi-criteria evaluation system to urban 'Not in my back yard' facilities siting.

'Not in My Back Yard (NIMBY)' facilities are psychologically sensitive to urban and regional development. Multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) method has been widely used for the decision-making of optimum siting of urban NIMBY facilities which aim to improve residents' psychological satisfaction. However, the evaluation of qualitative criteria in siting analysis remains under researched, such as the insufficient focus on urban and regional spatial development, social public opinion, and psychological factors. Thus, the effective improvement of MCE method through an interdisciplinary view can optimise the decision process and advance the factor assessment system of siting, which helps to supplement qualitative criteria evaluation. The specific improvement steps are as follows. The first step is to introduce the mixed MCE method to improve the qualitative criteria evaluation method by pre-processing qualitative criteria with min-max standardisation and normalization. This process transfers all negative factors to positive ones and transforms the F function to linear functions. The second step is to optimise the existing two-phase siting decision-making including the feasibility evaluation phase and the MCE phase. The third step is to propose a modular criteria system composed of urban and regional spatial planning, social psychological factors and the corresponding improvement strategy of this system from three perspectives of composition, measure, and weight. We argue that the improved method could be broadly applied to optimum siting decision of urban NIMBY facilities and enhance the psychological satisfaction of residents.

Selection of the final solid waste disposal site in the Bolgatanga municipality of Ghana using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and multi-criteria evaluation (MCE).

The various components of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) such as collection, sorting, transportation, and disposal have their peculiarities and challenges. However, final disposal sites, generally referred to as landfill sites, present a complex difficulty. The aggregation of the problems of other components has consequences on the microenvironment, public health, and groundwater. Final disposal of MSW, site selection, and management presents an enormous burden for most Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assembly (s) in Ghana. The case of Bolgatanga Municipality is similar to many others in the Upper East region in particular and Ghana as a whole. The existing landfill site is improperly sited and poses a great danger to adjoining communities. In this work, we used the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in a G.I.S. suite and Multi-Criteria Evaluation to assess the current location and select a possible new site within the municipality. The criteria used are generally environmental and socio-economic parameters, including; distance from major roads, rivers, settlements, and the selection of an appropriate slope and soil type that suits the guidelines for the siting of a landfill. The outcome of this multi-criteria assessment is the selection of a new site far from the current disposal site indicating the inappropriate location of the current site. A combination of all weighted criteria through a model builder process produced a suitability index map for candidate landfill sites. The selected site at Sherigu is about 16 km by road from the proposed site, which is much bigger than the threshold of 500 sq. meters. The separation distance and size between the current and the proposed site are indications of how economically and environmentally inappropriate the Sherigu site is and the need for a better site that is better situated for socio-economic and environmental considerations.

Flood hazards and risk mapping using geospatial technologies in Jimma City, southwestern Ethiopia.

Cities in Ethiopia are suffering from unprecedented floods due to climate change and other anthropogenic activities. Failure to include land use planning and poorly designed urban drainage system aggravates the problem of urban flood. The integration of geographic information system, and multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) technique were used for flood hazards and risk mapping. Five factors namely slope, elevation, drainage density, land use land cover, and soil data were used for flood hazards and risk mapping. Agrowing urban population increases the risk of flood victims during the rainy season. Results revealed that about 25.16 and 24.38% of the study area is categorized under very high and high flood hazards, respectively. The topographic nature of the study area increases flood risk and hazards. The increaseing number of people living in the city has led to the conversion of previously occupied green lands into residential areas aggravates flood hazards and risk. Flood mitigation measures such as better land use planning, public awareness creation on flood hazards and risks, delineation of flood risk areas during the rainy seasons, increasing greenery, strengthening river side development, and watershed management in the catchment are urgently required. The findings of this study can provide a theoretical background for flood hazards risk mitigation and prevention.

A series of spatio-temporal analyses and predicting modeling of land use and land cover changes using an integrated Markov chain and cellular automata models.

For sustainable land cover planning, spatial land cover models are essential. Deforestation, loss of agriculture, and conversion of pasture land to urban and industrial uses are only some of the negative consequences of human kind's insatiable need for more land. Using remote sensing multi-temporal data, spatial criteria, and prediction models can effectively monitor these changes and plan for sustainable land use. This research aims to predict the land use and land cover (LULC) with cellular automata (CA) and Markov chain models. Landsat TM, ETM + , and OLI/TIRS data were used for mapping LULC distributions for the years 1990, 2006, and 2022. A CA-Markov chain was developed for simulating long-term landscape changes at 16-year time steps from 2022 to 2054. Analysis of urban sprawl was carried out by using the support vector machine (SVM). Through the CA-Markov chain analysis, we expect that built-up area will grow from 285.68 km2 (22.59%) to 383.54 km2 (30.34%) in 2022 and 2054, as inferred from the changes that occurred from 1990 to 2022. Therefore, substantial deforestation area reduction will result if existing tendencies in change continue despite sustainable development efforts. The findings of this research can inform land cover management strategies and assist local authorities in preparing for the present and the future. They can balance expanding the city and preserving its natural resources.

Participatory multi-criteria evaluation of landscape values to inform wildfire management.

Climate change is expected to increase the number of days with meteorological conditions conducive to uncontrollable wildfires. Thus, it is necessary to strengthen the capacity of wildfire-prone regions to minimize the adverse impacts of these wildfires by creating resilient landscapes. In this paper we develop a participatory multi-criteria evaluation to identify and map landscape values and prioritize areas according to these values in the Montseny Biophere Reserve (Catalonia, NE Spain). Then, we draft a wildfire management strategy to protect the areas that have been prioritized through selected fuel reduction sectors that would reduce wildfire intensity. Finally, we emphasize the added value of a participatory multi-criteria evaluation in the adaptation to and management of expected megafires. We find that the integration of landscape values through participatory multi-criteria evaluation has the potential to alter wildfire management strategies by adding fuel reduction sectors and changing their implementation order. However, the implementation of the planned fuel reduction treatments faces socioeconomic and institutional barriers that call for a deeper engagement with transdisciplinary project design and transformative science.

Groundwater potential zonation using VES and GIS techniques: A case study of Weserbi Guto catchment in Sululta, Oromia, Ethiopia.

Groundwater is an appreciated and vital natural resource in the world, and it is of the utmost essential for the growth and development of a country. Nevertheless, assessing the groundwater potential and its recharge region is still ambiguous due to the nature of groundwater. In this study, the groundwater potential of the Weserbi Guto Laga Qawe Catchment Sululta area was assessed using VES and GIS methods. For the model, thematic layers were generated from the geophysical investigation, existing maps, and field survey results and were integrated into the GIS environment to delineate the groundwater potential zones. Factors such as lineament density, drainage density, elevation or topography, slope gradient, aquifer resistivity, and lithology were derived, reclassified, and scaled to common ranges and assigned with appropriate weights. The groundwater potential zonation model of the site was produced by the multicriteria evaluation method. Accordingly, the geometrical interval method was utilized to classify the index into three zones (high, moderate, and low) to produce the map. The model result revealed that a large part of the study area fell into the high zone with 50.14 % (3669.99ha). whereas 35.85% (262.72ha) and 14.01% (1024.95ha) show moderate and low groundwater potential, respectively. The resulting map was validated using eleven existing water level data points and the result was found to be in good agreement with the model.

Economic, technical, and environmental evaluation of retrofitting scenarios in a full-scale industrial wastewater treatment system.

The use of mathematical models is a well-established procedure in the field of (waste) water engineering to "virtually" evaluate the feasibility of novel process modifications. In this way, only options with the highest chance of success are further developed to be implemented at full-scale, while less interesting proposals can be disregarded at an early stage. Nevertheless, there is still lack of studies, where different plant-wide model predictions (effluent quality, process economics, and technical aspects) are comprehensibly verified in the field with full-scale data. In this work, a set of analysis/evaluation tools are used to assess alternative retrofitting options in the largest industrial wastewater treatment plant in Northern Europe. A mechanistic mathematical model is simulated to reproduce process behavior (deviation < 11%). Multiple criteria are defined and verified with plant data (deviation < 5%). The feasibility of three types of scenarios is tested: (1) stream refluxing, (2) change of operational conditions and (3) the implementation of new technologies. Experimental measurements and computer simulations show that the current plant´s main revenues are obtained from the electricity produced by the biogas engine (54%) and sales of the inactivated bio-solids for off-site biogas production (33%). The main expenditures are the discharge fee (39%), and transportation and handling of bio-solids (30%). Selective treatment of bio-solid streams strongly modifies the fate of COD and N compounds within the plant. In addition, it increases revenues (+3%), reduces cost (-9%) and liberates capacity in both activated sludge (+25%) and inactivation reactors (+50%). Better management of the buffer tank promotes heterotrophic denitrification instead of dissimilatory nitrate conversion to ammonia. In this way, 11% of the incoming nitrogen is removed within the anaerobic water line and does not overload the activated sludge reactors. Only a marginal increase in process performance is achieved when the anaerobic granular sludge reactor operates at full capacity. The latter reveals that influent biodegradability is the main limiting factor rather than volume. Usage of either NaOH or heat (instead of CaO) as inactivation agents allows anaerobic treatment of the reject water, which substantially benefits revenues derived from higher electricity recovery (+44%). However, there is a high toll paid on chemicals (+73%) or heat recovery (-19%) depending on the inactivation technology. In addition, partial nitration/Anammox and a better poly-aluminum chloride (PAC) dosage strategy is necessary to achieve acceptable (< 2%) N and P levels in the effluent. The scenarios are evaluated from a sustainability angle by using life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) in form of damage stressors grouped into three categories: human health, ecosystems quality, and resource scarcity. The presented decision support tool has been used by the biotech company involved in the study to support decision-making on how to handle future expansions.

Deliberating options for nature-based river development: Insights from a participatory multi-criteria evaluation.

To address societal challenges in river landscapes, various options are conceivable that differ in the degree of adopting nature-based solutions (NBS) and the respective impacts on people and nature. Multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) can aid participatory deliberations about the performance and significance of such options. However, little experience and evidence exist from the application of participatory MCE in planning NBS in river landscapes. This study aims to expand the understanding of individual and collaborative judgments of agency representatives about river development options with varying levels of NBS interventions. A process tracing approach with a rigorous participatory MCE for four alternatives to develop an exemplary river in Germany is adopted, as well as weighted linear aggregation, descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, and decision tree modelling for data analysis. The results reveal a wide agreement among participants on the positive impacts of NBS on biodiversity and water quality. Participants also tended to judge those ecological dimensions as more important than non-ecological ones. The rankings of alternatives differed when elicited individually but seemed to converge during the deliberation process. Overall, the results indicate a relative preference of participants for medium NBS interventions, but also shed light on potential implementation hurdles. The study closes by proposing key questions to consider for MCE of NBS.

Site selection and environmental risks assessment of medical solid waste landfill for the City of Kermanshah-Iran.

In this study, an integration of multi-criteria evaluation, geographic information system, and remote sensing techniques were used for site selection of medical waste landfills in Kermanshah, Iran. Also, an environmental risk assessment for the selected site has been conducted in order to minimize the possible hazardous. The GIS and remote sensing were used for acquiring and preparing layers and maps and the multi-criteria evaluation was used for setting aim, criteria selection, criteria weighting, and final decision making. The results showed that only 1.2% of the study area is scored high-suitable, while 90% of the area is considered unsuitable that makes this region critical for preservation. After further assessment and field visits, a suitable site was selected for landfilling. Environmental risk assessment showed that the selected site poses a low-level of risks to the environment and surrounding areas and this is because various environmental and health aspects have been considered in the site selection process.

Multi-Criteria Evaluation and Sensitivity Analysis for the Optimal Location of Constructed Wetlands (METland) at Oceanic and Mediterranean Areas.

METland is a new variety of Constructed Wetland (CW) for treating wastewater where gravel is replaced by a biocompatible electroconductive material to stimulate the metabolism of electroactive bacteria. The system requires a remarkably low land footprint (0.4 m2/pe) compared to conventional CW, due to the high pollutant removal rate exhibited by such microorganisms. In order to predict the optimal locations for METland, a methodology based on Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) techniques applied to Geographical Information Systems (GIS) has been proposed. Seven criteria were evaluated and weighted in the context of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Finally, a Global Sensitivity Analysis (GSA) was performed using the Sobol method for resource optimization. The model was tested in two locations, oceanic and Mediterranean, to prove its feasibility in different geographical, demographic and climate conditions. The GSA revealed as conclusion the most influential factors in the model: (i) land use, (ii) distance to population centers, and (iii) distance to river beds. Interestingly, the model could predict best suitable locations by reducing the number of analyzed factors to just such three key factors (responsible for 78% of the output variance). The proposed methodology will help decision-making stakeholders in implementing nature-based solutions, including constructed wetlands, for treating wastewater in rural areas.

Monitoring and predicting regional land use and land cover changes in an estuarine landscape of India.

Deciphering land use and land cover (LULC) change patterns, identifying the variables that act as the major driving forces of change, and predicting possible changes are necessary tools of decision support for policymakers. Estuarine landscapes world over are under extreme pressure of developmental activities because of their resources. The developmental activities lead to unforeseen changes in the traditional land use practices, making it necessary for investigation of the possible outcomes. The present study aims to study the changing pattern of LULC in the East Godavari River Estuarine Ecosystem (EGREE) landscape during 1977-2015 using temporal satellite data and to predict the possible LULC changes by 2029. Cellular Automata-Markov model (CAMM) with and without the multi-criteria evaluator (MCE) and the multi-layer perceptron (MLP) models were used for future LULC prediction. Between 1977 and 2015, mangroves were converted to aquaculture (5.81 km2) on the landward side and were also lost to submergence at the seaward side (15 km2). All of the coastal scrub (69 km2) was lost to beach clearing. Over this period, the aquaculture area rose to 177 km2. The CAMM with MCE was found to yield better predictions. A further rise was predicted in aquaculture (16%), built-up (30%), and Casuarina plantations (28%) by 2029. The study highlighted the LULC change patterns in EGREE, an important estuarine landscape of India. The information generated in this study can act as baseline information for the stakeholders and policy makers in decision-making of developmental projects, land acquisition, and diversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural purposes.

Site selection for artificial recharge with treated wastewater with the integration of multi-criteria evaluation and ELECTRE III.

The suitable location selection for artificial recharge with treated wastewater is an important issue, especially in arid and semiarid countries as a result of rapid population growth, increasing water demand, excessive use of groundwater resources, and mismanagement of limited freshwater resources. However, the determination of suitable sites is a complex process affected the environment, social, and economic concerns. This study shows the integration of the geographic information system (GIS) and the multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) to determine a suitable artificial recharge site with treated wastewater for Ariana, Tunisia. According to the literature review, data available on artificial recharge and regional characteristics, thirteen constraints and five factors were determined to choose the best potential site for artificial recharge. The constraints helped the determination of unsuitable sites with Boolean logic, while factors, standardized using fuzzy logic and weighted with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), helped to identify suitable locations. All criteria were overlaid on a decision structure after two scenarios based on environment and economic were identified with a weighted linear combination (WLC) that selects the suitable sites for artificial recharge. The results indicated that three potential sites were suitable for artificial recharge with treated wastewater. Finally, the ELECTRE III method was used to classify the three determining potential areas to order the best locations for aquifer recharge with treated water according to their characteristics from higher to lower weighted: distance from the road, geometric form of the site, cost of the site, and distance from wetlands.

Assessment and potential-site determination of a wheat straw power plant by Aspen Plus and multi-criteria GIS model.

Wheat is one of the most important crops worldwide. Mexicali, Baja California, is an important wheat producer in Mexico with an average production of 507,543 t. Wheat straw is generated as a residue which could be used for different purposes such as bioenergy, heat and power generation. In this work, an assessment and potential site determination of a biomass power plant operating with wheat straw as fuel was performed. Aspen Plus was used to evaluate a plant capacity of at least 10 MW considering the physicochemical properties and an higher heating value of 14.86 MJ kg-1 of the wheat straw from the region. The combustion produced 39.76 MW, and the overall plant efficiency was 25.52%. The development of the multi-criteria geographic information system model allowed us to assess and analyse four factors and three restrictions to determine the potential site for the biomass power plant. The factors were raw material, wheat crops, electric transmission lines, paths and roads, water canals and aqueducts, while the restrictions were localities, Ramsar sites and faults. The biomass power plant is technically and geographically feasible. The geographical coordinates of the potential site of the biomass power plant that fulfils all the criteria are 32°29'29.72″N and 115°15'39.45″W.

Assessment of asthma-prone environment in Karachi, Pakistan using GIS modeling.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association among number of factors influenced by asthma using geographic information system. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted in Landhi and Korangi towns of Karachi from 2011 to 2013, and comprised ecological mapping and multi-criteria evaluation techniques to discover the relationship of local environmental settings with asthma. Additionally, exacerbating environment and the root causes within the local settings were assessed. Data was gathered using an extended version of the questionnaire developed by the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. Data was analysed by using ArcGIS 10. RESULTS: The findings are very alarming as almost 40% (468,930 estimated pop 1998 census) of the study population lived in high asthma-prone environment, having a very high risk of respiratory disorders, including asthma. CONCLUSIONS: The integrated environmental effect in the form of respiratory disorders was appraised, focusing on asthma by using multi-criteria analysis.

A multi-criteria evaluation system for arable land resource assessment.

This study proposed a multi-criteria evaluation system for arable land resources by combining the soil integrated fertility index (IFI) with a soil cleanliness index (based on heavy metals and metalloid content). A total of 16 typical arable land units in Chongming District, China, were evaluated using the proposed evaluation system based on 104 collected soil samples in 16 towns. The comprehensive soil evaluation scores of arable lands in 16 towns were in the range of 90.7 to 99.2 with a mean of 96.2, indicating that the arable land in all 16 towns was at the level of excellent (≥ 90.0). Lower cleanliness indices had a significant impact on the final evaluation score. In comparison with single-index evaluation systems (i.e., the IFI or soil cleanliness index), the proposed multi-criteria system better reflects the quality of the soil. In the practice of arable land requisition and subsidy policy, the proposed multi-criteria evaluation system not only encourages farmers to preserve arable lands during farming but also helps agricultural authorities make effective and reliable management decisions.

The use of multi-criteria evaluation for the selection of study plots for monitoring of I. ricinus ticks - Example from Central Europe.

Research projects in the field of eco-epidemiology of tick-borne diseases often require extensive sampling of arthropod vectors in the field. The aim of our study was to use geographical information systems (GIS) to select appropriate sampling sites of Ixodes ricinus ticks in central European habitat for further ecological studies of vector-borne pathogens (tick-borne encephalitis virus and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato). The model area was the Czech-German borderland (the region of South Bohemia and two regions in Germany: the Upper Palatinate and Lower Bavaria) where numerous human tick-borne encephalitis cases are reported annually. We prepared the sampling site design as a multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) task. In the GIS environment, we conducted MCE with a set of environmental, socio-economic and epidemiological data (altitude, vegetation cover, number of tick-borne encephalitis cases recorded in the past, tourist activity). The MCE classified the surveyed area into two classes: suitable for tick collection and unsuitable for tick collection. Subsequently, 50 tick sampling sites were randomly selected in the suitable area: 30 in South Bohemia (Czech Republic) and 20 in the Upper Palatinate and Lower Bavaria regions (Bavaria, Germany). The sampling sites were identified and surveyed in the field. The presence of ticks was confirmed by flagging at each of the selected plots. The described MCE system represents a versatile tool for semi-randomized design of tick sampling sites for research projects in the field of tick-borne pathogen ecology as well as for tick-borne pathogen surveillance programs run by local health authorities.

Stakeholder evaluations of risk interventions for non-potable recycled water schemes: A case study.

Non-potable recycled water schemes can benefit sustainable urban water management through reducing demand for drinking water and mitigating environmental loadings through the provision of advanced wastewater treatment. However, scheme feasibility can be diminished by high capital and operating costs which can be elevated by perceptions of health risks and subsequently overly cautious risk reduction measures. Conversely, a failure to anticipate the risk management expectations of stakeholders can undermine scheme feasibility through insufficient demand for recycled water. The aim of this study was to explore how stakeholders' perceptions and preferences for risk management and recycled water end-uses might influence scheme design. Using a case study scheme in London, four risk management intervention scenarios and six alternative end uses were evaluated using a stochastic PROMETHEE-based method that incorporated quantitative microbial risk assessment and stakeholder criteria weights together with an attitudinal survey of stakeholders' risk perceptions. Through pair-wise criteria judgements, results showed that stakeholders prioritised health risk reductions which led to the more conservative management intervention of adding water treatment processes being ranked the highest. In contrast, responses to the attitudinal survey indicated that the stakeholders favoured maintaining the case study's existing levels of risk control but with more stakeholder engagement. The findings highlighted potential benefits of understanding risk perceptions associated with different design options and contrasting these with multi-criteria model results. Extrapolating from these findings, future research could explore potential challenges and benefits of providing flexibility in scheme designs to appeal to a wider range of stakeholder needs as well as being more adaptable to future social, environmental or economic challenges. The study concludes that contemporary risk management guidance would benefit from more explicitly outlining constructive ways to engage stakeholders in scheme evaluation.

Stakeholder preferences for payments for ecosystem services (PES) versus other environmental management approaches for mangrove forests.

Choosing from a range of environmental management options can be more effective when considering stakeholder preferences. This is particularly true in the coastal tropics, where numerous actors and institutions intersect to shape environmental governance. Here, we investigate stakeholder preferences for an array of options regarding the sustainable development and conservation of mangrove forests. These include: payments for ecosystem services (PES), ecotourism, selling non-timber forest products, bio-charcoal production, and forest restoration financed via corporate social responsibility (CSR). Empirical studies from two socio-ecological settings in Thailand reveal the preferences of government agencies, corporations, municipal and village heads, and several community associations (fishers, senior citizens, housewives, environmentalists, salt-flat workers, oil palm plantation owners). Interviews and participatory multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) elicited preferences based on the likelihood of achieving favourable environmental, economic, and social outcomes. Findings reveal (1) PES was favoured - although motivations were not driven solely by the prospect of financial gain, but by the land tenure security, collaborations, and long-term ecological benefits that were perceived to occur as a result; (2) PES for local services (water quality) were preferred over global services (climate change mitigation); (3) criteria related to wellbeing, livelihoods, and environmental stewardship are influenced by broad cultural and political ideologies, rather than site-specific characteristics; and (4) clear tensions both between private and public actors, and between national and local actors. Our study highlights the importance of involving all informed stakeholders in the decision-making process in order to understand the complex reasons driving environmental management preferences, and to gain greater acceptance of biodiversity conservation and natural resource management actions. We also call for greater transparency in MCDA studies by presenting more of the qualitative data used to subjectively construct the quantitative criteria.