The assets, threats and solvability (ATS) model for setting environmental priorities

Abstract

Environmental and natural resource management agencies routinely encounter the task of setting priorities. Limited time, staff and financial resources result in some projects, programmes or issues being given greater attention than others. In multi-stakeholder and multi-objective settings the decision-making process is complex. The task is often made harder by incomplete or inaccurate datasets. Decision makers will aim to adopt a procedure that is analytically robust, auditable, transparent and understandable. This paper presents the assets, threats and solvability (ATS) model for structuring an environmental priority-setting problem. A brief illustration of its use for setting priorities in the Wet Tropics of North Queensland is given. The ATS model provides a structured decision procedure applicable with limited information in a multi-objective policy environment. It helps guide the selection and application of priority-setting criteria under these conditions.