Multicriterial Analysis for the Identification of Key Areas to Improve the Management in Piracicaba River Basin, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of the study was to identify areas subject to the implementation of payment for hydrological environmental services projects, aiming to provide solutions for planners and decision makers. Multicriterial analysis (MCA) was used, with the integration of criteria that were aggregated through methods called ordered weighted averaging (OWA) and weighted linear combination (WLC). The alternatives WLC and OWA medium-to-low risk-taking were viable solutions to identify areas with potential for improving water availability, identifying and combining areas with high surface runoff, low soil water storage, high soil loss, low concentration time, and close to rivers. The same alternatives were good solutions to identify areas with potential for improving water quality, pointing out priority areas with a high concentration of nitrogen, high surface runoff, and soil loss. For the areas with potential to erosion control and sediment production, the alternatives WLC and OWA medium-to-high risk-taking proved to be good solutions, indicating areas that coincide with high soil loss, high surface runoff, high slope, and close to rivers. With the established MCA procedures, it is possible to use the same criteria, weights, and methods used to define key areas for the qualification of decision-making and management processes, especially in matters involving instruments and measures for the conservation of watersheds.