Weighting social preferences in participatory multi-criteria evaluations: a case study on sustainable natural resource management

The paper argues that explicitly weighting criteria in participatory multi-criteria evaluations allows for a 'social sensitivity' analysis that validates the robustness of sustainability assessments without forcing a consensus among stakeholders. Using a case study of the Urdaibai Estuary in the Basque Country, the authors applied a process of individual weighting followed by hierarchical cluster analysis to group social actors by their priorities. The results showed that while most groups favored conservation and limited dredging, the shipyard labor union held opposing priorities. The authors conclude that this approach facilitates social learning and mutual understanding by mapping the diversity of priorities rather than oversimplifying them into a single average value.

• The authors propose that the explicit elicitation of weights within a participatory multi-criteria evaluation (PMCE) can function as a quality assurance mechanism to check the robustness of sustainability assessments from a social perspective.
• The proposed approach enables a 'social sensitivity' analysis that respects the incommensurability of values and allows participants to reflect on diverse preferences without requiring them to reach a consensus.
• In the Urdaibai Estuary case study, the highest degree of conflict among social actors regarding criteria prioritisation was found in the 'employment' and 'reversibility' criteria.
• The application of the C-K-Y-L ranking procedure revealed that the majority of social groups (Groups 2, 3, 4, and 5) preferred alternative A3, which focuses on constraining dredging and developing conservation measures.
• The analysis identified a paradox where massive dredging, the prevailing policy in the Urdaibai Estuary for decades, was the only option that all involved social actors agreed should be abandoned.
• The use of a cluster dendrogram served as a tool to facilitate dialogue by mapping the diversity of priorities and identifying potential coalitions without oversimplifying the complex reality.

APA

Garmendia, E., & Gamboa, G. (2012). Weighting social preferences in participatory multi-criteria evaluations: a case study on sustainable natural resource management. Basque Centre for Climate Change. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201208230911531929778400.pdf

Chicago

Garmendia, Eneko, and Gonzalo Gamboa. Weighting social preferences in participatory multi-criteria evaluations: a case study on sustainable natural resource management. Basque Centre for Climate Change, 2012. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201208230911531929778400.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Garmendia |first1=Eneko |last2=Gamboa |first2=Gonzalo |title=Weighting social preferences in participatory multi-criteria evaluations: a case study on sustainable natural resource management |publisher=Basque Centre for Climate Change |date=August 2012 |url=https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201208230911531929778400.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{garmendia2012weighting, author = {Garmendia, Eneko and Gamboa, Gonzalo}, title = {{Weighting social preferences in participatory multi-criteria evaluations: a case study on sustainable natural resource management}}, institution = {Basque Centre for Climate Change}, year = {2012}, month = aug, url = {https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201208230911531929778400.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }