Collaborative environmental planning in river management: An application of multicriteria decision analysis in the White River Watershed in Vermont

Journal of Environmental Management
By: , and 

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Abstract

Multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) provides a well-established family of decision tools to aid stakeholder groups in arriving at collective decisions. MCDA can also function as a framework for the social learning process, serving as an educational aid in decision problems characterized by a high level of public participation. In this paper, the framework and results of a structured decision process using the outranking MCDA methodology preference ranking organization method of enrichment evaluation (PROMETHEE) are presented. PROMETHEE is used to frame multi-stakeholder discussions of river management alternatives for the Upper White River of Central Vermont, in the northeastern United States. Stakeholders met over 10 months to create a shared vision of an ideal river and its services to communities, develop a list of criteria by which to evaluate river management alternatives, and elicit preferences to rank and compare individual and group preferences. The MCDA procedure helped to frame a group process that made stakeholder preferences explicit and substantive discussions about long-term river management possible.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Collaborative environmental planning in river management: An application of multicriteria decision analysis in the White River Watershed in Vermont
Series title Journal of Environmental Management
DOI 10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.07.013
Volume 84
Issue 4
Year Published 2007
Language English
Publisher Elsevier
Description 13 p.
First page 534
Last page 546
Country United States
State Vermont
Other Geospatial White River Watershed
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