A Multicriteria Analysis to Support Natural Resource Governance: The Case of Chestnut Forests

Abstract

Efficient natural resource management prevents and reduces negative impacts, such as environmental damage, misappropriation of resources, and conflicts; several strategies can be leveraged to conserve, protect, and enhance natural resources. Multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) is useful in providing solutions to addressing decision choice problems. In this study, the natural resource under evaluation is the chestnut forest, with the objective of valorising its supply chains. The methodology applied is A’WOT, which allows previously identified factors, using a qualitative SWOT matrix, to be ordered through an objective quantification using the AHP (analytic hierarchy process), which is a multicriteria decision support method. The survey was conducted with a group of chestnut resource (n = 20) experts. The SWOT matrix identified a total of 20 factors: 6 strengths and 6 weaknesses and 4 factors each for opportunities and threats. The results express a clear stakeholder interest, which identifies the significant role of civil society in directing management choices for the provision and enhancement of ecosystem and vocational services. This study evaluated the adaptability of decision support tools applied to a real case of forest resource management to identify and order factors useful to enhance the resource and stimulate the supply chains to achieve greater added value. In a general sense, the methodological potential emerged to replicate or improve the research in other geographical regions, whether regional or extraregional, or even on a larger scale, such as on a national level.