SAfeguarding Biodiversity and Ecosystem seRvices by integrating CULTURAL values in freshwater management (SABER CULTURAL)
Dr. Simone Langhans (Marie Curie Fellow funded by the European Commission) uses a well-known participatory decision support framework (i.e. Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis; MCDA) to tackle two major challenges in freshwater ecosystem-based management: 1) including cultural values that build a conceptual link between natural resources/biodiversity and local knowledge, besides traditionally considered ecological and socio-economic ones, and 2) accounting for uncertainty. MCDA is i) transparent, ii) allows for the whole range of stakeholder values to be quantified and accounted for, iii) can be used to robustly test outcomes of different management scenarios, and iv) can ultimately be used to prioritise cost-effective management actions with collective buy in. Simone works with the community in Wanaka (Central Otago) and Blueskin Bay (Dunedin) to tackle different parts of SABER CULTURAL.
For more information please contact: simone.langhans@otago.ac.nz