Using soft-systems methods to evaluate the outputs from multi-objective land use planning tools Keith Matthews, The Macaulay Institute, Aberdeen, U.K. iEMSs 2002 – Integrated Assessment and Decision Support MODSS - Special Session

Land-use Planning (LADSS) Strategic Farm-scale: individual land-management units Spatially explicit Multi-objective: financial, social and environmental Exploiting systems-based research Assisting by finding and evaluating alternative patterns of land-use.

Search and optimisation tools to define the trade-off between objectives Decision Support

Soft Systems Multiple perspective appraisal (rapid rural appraisal) Exercises - best if real world Stakeholders Convenor - independent Facilitator - reporter Introduction - exercises - plenary session(s)

Delegates Task - individual and group Materials Bank Advisor, Systems Analyst, Agri-Science (2), Biologist, Conservationist, Estate Managers (2), Farm Managers (2) Workable compromise - between financial and diversity goals - pattern of allocation Maps, photos, tables - soil, climate, topography. Some interpretation - land capability, conservation value. Option of map or table output

Test Application Research station: 90 blocks, 10 uses - typical size/options. Financial returns and diversity/evenness of land use (Shannon index)

Assumptions/Rules of the game OursTheirs 10 land uses5 land use - trees classified Diversification possible Existing boundaries Accepted (but limiting) No bought or soldRenting out possible Existing land use does Fix all existing woodland not preclude a new one Capital and infrastruc-Accepted (but a real world ture not limitingproblem of lock-in)

Delegate Maps

Individual Allocations - 1

Individual Allocations - 2

Group Allocations - 1

Group Allocations - 2

Delegate Influence-1 Find the weights that would need to applied to the C-o-G calculation result in a C-o-G located at the group allocation. DelegatePMIMean WT BA AG B E E

Delegate Influence-2 DelegatePMIMean WT SA AG C E F

Conclusions Practitioners operate within social constraints on management Solutions proposed across the trade-off Practical management concerns can be incorporated into the optimisation algorithms to make the solutions found more realistic. Finding range of best compromise solutions is useful - compromise between individual practitioners can result in poorer solutions

Individual Allocations - 1