An integrated application of AHP and PROMETHEE in decision making for landscape management

Abstract

This paper presents an example of an integrated application of two commonly used multi-criteria decision-making methods in landscape management, AHP and PROMETHEE, in order to select one of four management alternatives as the preferred alternative for management of the Fruska Gora National park in Serbia. AHP was used to derive the weights on five decision criteria, while PROMETHEE was used to assess the performance of four alternative management plans with respect to the five decision criteria. The five decision criteria were promoting biodiversity, wilderness, tourism, education, and use of resources. The four management alternatives included: 1) maintain current management practices (business as usual), 2) develop eco-tourism, 3) protect natural ecosystems, and 4) provide sustained use of natural resources.After weighting the decision criteria and evaluating the performance of the alternatives against them, the second alternative (develop eco-tourism) was selected as providing the best performance across all criteria. The proposed decision-making scheme is especially useful with qualitative criteria and can be applied to diverse problems in landscape management.

Citation

Lakićević, Milena D.; Reynolds, Keith M.; Gawryszewska, Beata J. 2021. An integrated application of AHP and PROMETHEE in decision making for landscape management. Austrian Journal of Forest Science. 138(3): 167-182.