Multicriteria Evaluation for Protected Area Definition Aiming at Water Quality Improvement

ABSTRACT This study aimed to define potential areas for forest conservation to improve water quality, using Multicriteria Evaluation (MCE); and to verify differences between results from a multidisciplinary group of experts. We worked with the Pirapora River Watershed, Piedade/SP. The participatory method was used to identify the criteria and their relative importance. Priority maps representing expert opinion were elaborated, as well as a map with average weight values. We compared the differences between the criteria weight values and the maps of priority areas. The maps proposed distinct s...