Assessment of forest restoration projects in different regions using multicriteria decision analysis methods

Abstract

ABSTRACT The assessment of forest restoration projects with multiple goals implemented in different regions is a strategy for examining the effectiveness of the plan and implementation of forest restoration projects. This study proposes a model for assessing the effectiveness of implementing forest restoration projects in alternative regions by integrating their environmental, social, and economic conditions using multicriteria decision analysis methods, i.e. the entropy weight and the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution methods. The Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP) in China was used to validate the proposed assessment model. The results suggest that one of the trial regions of the SLCP achieves the environmental, social, and economic goals and that different goals can be achieved with various extent at different stages of the project. While the findings may help China to understand the effectiveness of the SLCP project, it may also be of relevance to other countries that are experiencing difficulties in simultaneously assessing multiple goals of their forest restoration projects and promoting local socioeconomic development. Particularly, the multicriteria decision analysis methods proposed for assessing forest restoration projects in this study can be extrapolated to other projects and geographical areas.