Measures and evaluation for environment watershed plans using a novel hybrid MCDM model

Abstract

Although environment watershed plans have management and erosion control plans, public perception often focuses excessively on catastrophes. Environment plans are affected by many factors such as human life, property, safety, management, operations, maintenance, ecology, the environment, artificial structures, and climate control. The purpose of this paper is to qualitatively and quantitatively measure the environment watershed plan indexes and to achieve the aspired levels for these plan indexes. Previous efforts to evaluate the environment plans have assumed that the criteria are independent, but reality proves otherwise. Here, we use a novel hybrid multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) model to address the dependent relationships among the criteria. Specifically, we combined the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory model (DEMATEL) with the analytical network process (ANP) to calculate the relative weights of the criteria under interdependence and feedback. A real-life environment watershed problem is investigated to demonstrate the proposed novel hybrid MCDM model. We also propose a strategy to improve the criteria gaps for achieving the aspired levels for human life and safety.