taseh, mojtaba islamic azad university, science and research branch - department of natural resources and environment, Tehran, Iran , kiadaliri, hadi islamic azad university, science and research branch - department of natural resources and environment, Tehran, Iran , babaie kafaki, sasan islamic azad university, science and research branch - department of natural resources and environment, Tehran, Iran , naderloo, leila razi university - mechanical engineering of bio systems department, Kermanshah, Iran , sadeghi ravesh, mohammad hassan islamic azad university, takestan branch - department of agriculture, Takestan, Iran

Forest conservation management based on fuzzy multi-criteria decision making method

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The main purpose of the present paper was to investigate, weigh, and prioritize criteria, indicators, and options aiming to protect Zagros forests in Kermanshah province. We focused on developing a preferred prioritizing approach based on the fuzzy version of the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (namely, fuzzy ideal responses) (FTOPSIS). The proposed method was intended to identify forest protection options, as well as to evaluate standards for Zagros forest protection through the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and fuzzy Delphi method. The present study was descriptive-practical in terms of the research type and quantitative in terms of implementing a fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making method. A statistical sample used in this study comprised experts and university researchers in the field related to natural resource protection, including 54 people in total; the applied research tool was a questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using the MATLAB software, Lingo, and the nonlinear programming model (2004), which was applied to evaluate the efficiency of the options aimed at protecting the forests of Kermanshah province by using FTOPSIS and prioritizing the criteria through FAHP. Based on the results of prioritizing the options by using FTOPSIS, the empowerment option of local communities with a relative proximity index, namely, commodity channel index (CCI), equal to 0.599, was identified as the most important option in terms of protecting forest in Kermanshah province. From the viewpoint of the expert team, the collaborative protection option and the training and promotion approach with the values of CCI equal to 0.559 and 0.521 were ranked as the second and third, respectively. Then, it was noted that watershed operation, protection and conservation, patrolling and maintaining natural resources, supplying fuel to forest dwellers, outsourcing policies, supplying manpower and equipment for forest protection, and modification of the forest protection structure were ranked in a descending order. The results of FAHP based on the nonlinear programming model using Lingo software indicated that the technical criterion with the weight of 0.192 had the first priority among others. The social criterion with the weight of 0.188 was assigned the second priority, and the preventive criterion with that of 0.179 obtained the third priority.

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Empowerment of local communities , forest collaborative protection , fuzzy logic , fuzzy pair comparisons , FTOPSIS , index

Forestist

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