Multicriterial evaluation in the definition of protected areas at the Piedade municipality, SP.

Abstract

The preservation in situ, through the establishment of legally protected areas, is one the approaches to mitigate environmental impact and protect biodiversity in the long term. The Piedade municipality shows a favorable set of conditions for consolidating protected areas (i.e. relatively low urbanization rates, the presence of forest remnants, and portions of relevant conservation units). In this context, the present study proposed the definition of priority areas for protection using Multicriteria Evaluation (MCE). The specific objectives were to identify the criteria and weights that are important for defining protected areas and to evaluate which method of MCE, whether the Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) or the Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) would be more appropriate. Using the Participatory Technique (PT), we defined criteria and weights. WLC and OWA made possible the identification of areas likely to become protected, but the first method produced more general and less flexible solutions. On the other hand, OWA provided a greater number of possible answers to the question of interest. Thus, showing the low-risk level, the OWA map was considered most suitable for the study proposal.