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Degradation Model: A Quantitative
EIA Instrument, Acting as a Decision Support System (DSS) for
Environment Management
Professor
M.F. Makhdoum Head of
Dep. Environmental Planning & Management Faculty of
Environment, The
Environmental
assessment of alternative development plans, programs and policies may
bring conflict amongst decision – makers, particularly, when some
quantitative measures for decision –making are needed, and where
cumulative impacts are neglected, environmental Impact assessment (EIA)
and environmental economics theories, despite their usefulness, could
not alone address the mentioned issues and problems. Decision support
system (DSS) in recent years has provided some solutions, but
mathematical analysis of the system to show the internal structure of
the problem is not always possible.
To address the above
shortcomings and ongoing problems of decision – making in Iran, a
Degradation Model (DM) was introduced as an instrument of EIA, and
acting as a DSS for managers. The model cast as H=S
I.DP/V is a compromise between knowledge. Based decision support system,
detailed models, digested information model, and the basic theorem of
environmental economics.
In the present study (1996- 2000), the model was applied in three
provinces of the country, in whish they represent three out of four
biogeographically regions of
In order to provide
the decision – makers a set of quantitative measures to observe impacted
areas (critical and non- critical) for resource allocation and further
development, the degradation coefficients of all grids were classified
into categories and criteria, using a fuzzy set-theoretic approach.
Accordingly, only 24% of study areas are prone to further development.
Degradation model as a knowledge- based decision support system has strength and weakness, but it has solved managers ongoing problems in Iran, and it could be properly used else where.
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