Incorporating Multiple Criteria into the Design of Conservation Area Networks

A two-stage protocol for the design of conservation area networks which allows multiple constraint synchronization is described. During the first stage areas are selected to represent components of biodiversity up to speci- fied targets as economically as possible. The principal heuristic used is complementarity. This process results in a set of conservation area networks which comprise the feasible alternatives for the subsequent analysis. Dur- ing the second stage, multiple criteria (including spatial configuration crite- ria, vulnerability criteria, and socio-political criteria) are used, first to select the non-dominated feasible alternatives, and then to refine the non-domi- nated set further. This refinement is performed using a modification of the analytic hierarchy process. Resumen Describimos un protocolo de dos etapas para el diseno de una red de zonas que permita la sincronizacion de multiples limitantes. En la primera etapa, se eligen zonas representativas de la biodiversidad hasta obtener en la manera mas economica posible las metas especificadas. La complementacion es la heuristica usada. Este proceso genera una red de areas de conservacion que constituyen en alternativas viables para ser analizadas subsecuentemente. Durante la segunda etapa, usamos criterios multiple (incluyendo criterios de configuracion espacial, de vulnerabilidad, y politico-social) primero para seleccionar alternativas viables no dominantes, y luego para refinar aun mas la seleccion del grupo no dominante. Para lograr la seleccion usamos una variacion del proceso de jerarquia analitica. Abstract