Deciding between policy options for an isolated community in a national park : the use of cost benefit analysis and a multiattribute utility theory method as decision aids

Abstract

Integrated conservation and development projects are an approach to biological diversity protection that include community development as part of the concept. Often decision makers are faced with choosing between different options for management. A choice is optimal when the chosen alternative is the one that best fulfils the projects' broad objectives. Making choices occurs in a climate of poor information about the decision situation, uncertainty about future effects, and difficulties in identifying who is affected. Decision aids such as cost-benefit analysis and methods based in multi-attribute utility theory can be applied to the decision situation. However, these methods only identify optimal policy alternatives within the context of their utilitarian philosophical base, which is considered too narrow for adequate choice making. These methods should not be used as the sole means of judging between management options.