Conservation Planning for Action: End-User Engagement in the Development and Dual-Centric Weighting of a Spatial Decision Support System

John A. Gallo (), Amanda T. Lombard and Richard M. Cowling
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John A. Gallo: Botany Department, Nelson Mandela University, P.O. Box 77000, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) 6031, South Africa
Amanda T. Lombard: Botany Department, Nelson Mandela University, P.O. Box 77000, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) 6031, South Africa
Richard M. Cowling: Botany Department, Nelson Mandela University, P.O. Box 77000, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) 6031, South Africa

Land, 2022, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: The implementation of systematic conservation plans often involves collaboration among several organizations, so attaining consensus on the plan is an important driver of implementation success. We utilized participatory action research to explore an approach for developing consensus among organizations and facilitating implementation. A real-world challenge was addressed in the Little Karoo, South Africa by creating a spatial decision support system (SDSS) based primarily on weighted multi-criteria GIS overlays, but with an “incremental allocation algorithm” to allow efficient solution sets (i.e., systematic conservation planning). The end-users of the SDSS participated in the choice of criteria, in the selection of model parameter values, and in co-defining their group process. We co-designed a dual-centric weighting process in which the participants developed a set of weights and parameter values for attaining consensus among the organizations, and also a set for yielding the result that is best for biodiversity. The process yielded a consensus on the spatial priorities and, thus, a way forward. The estimated spatial priorities for each organization differed dramatically from each other and from the consensus priorities, indicating that a large discrepancy had been resolved. Our study indicates that the consensus-building and decision-support benefits of participatory multi-criteria overlay approaches merit closer attention in systematic conservation planning. The use of weighted overlays and an incremental allocation algorithm appear to be useful approaches for streamlining the participatory process while maintaining rigor and spatial complementarity. Finally, we uncovered theoretical psychological ramifications of the dual-centric weighting process that are promising and merit testing.

Keywords: Earthwise Framework; systematic conservation planning; conservation area design; socio-ecological resilience; public participation GIS; multi-criteria decision analysis; marginal utility; greedy heuristic; marginal value; consensus-building (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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