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Finding the optimal land allocation for providing ecosystem services, conserving biodiversity and maintaining rural livelihoods is a key challenge of agricultural management and land-use planning. Agroforestry has been widely discussed as a sustainable land-use solution and as one strategy to improve the provision of multiple ecological and economic functions in agricultural landscapes. In this study, we use the backdrop of agroforestry research to evaluate a method from the multi-criteria decision analysis toolbox: robust multi-objective optimization. The key feature of this modelling approach is its capacity to integrate uncertain ecological and socio-economic data. We illustrate the optimization model with a case study from eastern Panama, showing how the model can bring together scientific and practical knowledge to provide potentially desirable landscape compositions from the perspective of farmers, a public perspective, and a compromise solution. Example results of our case study show how to assess whether agroforestry is a desirable component in a landscape composition to satisfy multiple objectives of different interest groups. Furthermore, we use the model to demonstrate how different objectives influence the optimal area share and type of agroforestry. Due to its parsimonious nature, the model could be used as a starting point of an interactive co-learning process with decision-makers, researchers and other stakeholders. The model, however, is not yet suitable for an exact prediction of future land-use dynamics, for questions of spatially explicit land-use configuration, studies going beyond the regional scale or for socio-economic interactions of agents. Therefore, we outline future research needs and recommendations for other types of models or hybrid approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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• Gulf TREE, a climate resilience tool, saw differences in how it was adopted by different users. • Academic and non-profit users appear to have other pathways for finding climate resilience tools. • Many users appeared to use Gulf TREE between two and three times over the course of the year. • Web tracking analytics, such as Google Analytics can be adapted to better estimate number of uses. • Highly ranked usefulness, usability, and intention to use a tool did not guarantee tool adoption. Increasingly, climate researchers are pressured to generate products and tools from their research that support informed decision-making for increased social and environmental resilience. Despite the goal of these tools to integrate climate science into decision-making, little follow-up study is conducted after climate resilience tools are released to understand their effectiveness or application. It is important as limited resources across federal, state, local, and private sectors are invested in the development of climate resilience tools to understand their efficacy at achieving their intended purpose(s). This study leveraged Gulf TREE, a climate resilience tool released in 2018, to assess diffusion and adoption by intended users for intended purposes. Strategic efforts to enhance Gulf TREE via stakeholder engagement during development and positive evaluations prior to tool release, suggested there would be a high rate of adoption across all potential end-users; however, an end-user's intention to use a tool does not guarantee implementation. To expand the body of knowledge around climate resilience tool development, diffusion, and adoption, the authors explored the following research objectives: 1) Assess if end-users are adopting Gulf TREE; 2) Assess if end-users are adopting Gulf TREE for the intended purpose of finding climate change resilience tools; 3) Assess if end-users from different stakeholder categories are adopting Gulf TREE similarly. The study successfully determined that the climate resilience tool, Gulf TREE, was being adopted for its intended purposes. There were not sufficient data for statistical comparisons of use between stakeholder categories; however, general trends provided some indication of different stakeholder types utilizing Gulf TREE with different frequencies and for different purposes. Further, the study identified variability among sectors for how Gulf TREE was integrated into their existing suite of tools, with federal government and Sea Grant stakeholders using Gulf TREE as their primary resource versus academia and non-profit who appeared to have alternatives on which they continued to rely. Finally, this study identified that usability and usefulness may not be good indicators of tool adoption. This study expands the limited peer-reviewed assessments of a climate resilience tool's use. Continuing to develop this body of knowledge will allow for a better understanding of what constitutes a successful or effective climate resilience tool, how to improve current and future climate resilience tools, and how to best utilize limited resources when attempting to integrate climate science into decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A framework to evaluate urban resilience knowledge products is applied in two cases. • The knowledge product evaluation assesses elements, scales, resilience, and use. • Knowledge product implementation and facilitation strategies may increase use. • Methods that identify actions only in reports likely miss some resilience progress. • The knowledge product evaluation framework can help improve knowledge products. Urban decision-makers are increasingly focused on enhancing community resilience in anticipation of more frequent and intense impacts from climate variability and change. These impacts will manifest in complex and nuanced ways, particularly when coupled with additional social, economic, and environmental shifts that vary across contexts. Given these challenges, urban decision-makers are seeking new knowledge, and new ways of using existing knowledge, to support decision-making processes. In response, a broad range of knowledge products (i.e. decision-support tools, climate services) have been developed for urban areas. Yet, to date, little research has directly evaluated these products. The Knowledge Product Evaluation (KnoPE) framework addresses this gap by providing both conceptual clarity surrounding knowledge products and a structured, generalizable methodology to guide research and support improved knowledge product creation and uptake. The KnoPE Framework combines data and information on knowledge products, their use in decision-making over time, and evidence of tangible actions taken. The KnoPE Framework was developed with two urban resilience knowledge products – the Urban-Climate Adaptation Tool and the Maine Flood Resilience Checklist. Initial testing indicates that the KnoPE Framework can assess the transferability, scalability, and use of knowledge products in urban resilience decision-making. Any evaluation using the KnoPE Framework requires a thorough understanding of the contextual details of each case and understanding what factors may influence knowledge product development and subsequent decision-making processes and outcomes. Yet, as an analytical entry point for the evaluation of knowledge products, the KnoPE Framework can offer insights regarding the extent to which knowledge products influence urban resilience decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) Convention includes specific provisions to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs). The SPRFMO Commission has determined that the interim measures put in place to protect VMEs should be replaced by an improved system of fishable and closed areas. We used the conservation planning tool Zonation to examine the utility of a decision-support tool to develop spatial management options that balance the protection of VMEs with utilisation of high value areas for fishing. Input data included: habitat suitability maps for VME indicator taxa, and uncertainties associated with these model predictions, for an area of the high seas around New Zealand; naturalness condition, represented by two proxy variables using New Zealand trawl effort data; and value to the New Zealand fishery using trawl catch data for two gear types and three time-periods. Running scenario analyses with these data allowed for an understanding of the effect of varying the input data on the spatial prioritisation of areas for VME conservation. The analyses also allowed for the cost to fishing to be determined, in terms of the amount of the trawl catch footprint (normalised to the catch) lost if high priority areas for VME indicator taxa are protected. In most scenarios, the cost to fishing was low given the relatively high proportion of suitable habitat for VME indicator taxa that could be protected. The main outcome of the present study is a demonstration of the practical utility of using available data, including modelled data, and the Zonation decision-support tool to develop future options for the spatial management of the SPRFMO area. Suggestions are also made for improvements in input data for future analyses. Highlights • A decision-support tool was assessed for identifying spatial conservation priorities. • Spatial conservation prioritisation is sensitive to varying the input data. • Balancing the protection of VMEs and use of high value fishing areas is possible. • Cost to fishing was low given amount of VME habitat that could be protected. • Use of a decision-support tool can improve current spatial management measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision-making in the context of urban sustainability is a challenging problem for policy-makers, given its complex nature, demanding the compromise between different and, often, conflicting social, economic and environmental criteria. This multi-factor problem needs to be addressed in a holistic way, on the basis of an integrated transport and urban planning approach, through ad hoc planning for each different area. Land use and mobility policies are characterized by a high level of interaction, a fact that needs to be taken into account in urban and transport planning within the framework of sustainability. Effective land use policies may have a positive impact on sustainable mobility and vice versa: effective mobility policies may have a positive impact on sustainable land use in urban areas. Aiming at developing and testing via a case study a decision-support tool for policy-makers and decision-analysts to promote sustainable urban and transport planning, the application of two hybrid multi-criteria analysis models is proposed in this research work, in order to rank land use and transportation policies in the framework of urban sustainability, especially in terms of public space. The center of Thessaloniki (Greece), an urban area suffering from sustainable mobility and public space problems, is selected as a case study. • Integrated transport and urban planning can promote sustainable development. • New tools are needed to address transport and land use interaction in the local context. • A tool based on MCA is developed to support policy making for sustainable mobility and public space. • The case of Thessaloniki, Greece, a car dominant city, shows the need for safe active transport in upgraded public spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debris generated by disasters can hinder relief efforts and result in devastating economic, environmental and health problems. In this paper, we present a decision-support tool to assist disaster and waste management officials with the collection, transportation, reduction, recycling, and disposal of debris. The tool enables optimizing and balancing the financial and environmental costs, duration of the removal operations, landfill usage, and the amount of recycled materials generated. It can support post-disaster operational decisions as well as the challenging task of developing strategic plans for disaster preparedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debris generated by disasters can hinder relief efforts and result in devastating economic, environmental and health problems. In this paper, we present a decision-support tool to assist disaster and waste management officials with the collection, transportation, reduction, recycling, and disposal of debris. The tool enables optimizing and balancing the financial and environmental costs, duration of the removal operations, landfill usage, and the amount of recycled materials generated. It can support post-disaster operational decisions as well as the challenging task of developing strategic plans for disaster preparedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Canada''s Pacific coast is one region where there is a renewed commitment to pursue marine spatial planning (MSP). The British Columbia Marine Conservation Analysis (BCMCA) project aimed to set the stage for MSP, and was designed to provide resource managers, scientists, decision-makers, and stakeholders with a new set of resources to inform coast-wide integrated marine planning and management initiatives. Geographic Information Systems and the decision support tool Marxan were used to develop two main products: (1) an atlas of known marine ecological values and human uses; and (2) analyses of areas of conservation value and human use value. 110 biophysical datasets and 78 human use datasets were collated and refined where applicable, as identified through five ecological expert workshops, one expert review of physical marine classification and representation, and guidance from the human use data working group. Ecological data richness maps and Marxan results show the importance of nearshore and continental shelf regions. Data richness maps for the six categories of human uses show that all, except shipping and transport, are also closely linked to the shoreline and continental shelf. An example ecological Marxan solution identifying areas of conservation value overlapped human use sector footprints by percentages ranging from 92% (i.e., 92% of planning units selected by Marxan also contain commercial fisheries) to 3%. The experience of the BCMCA project has the potential to provide valuable guidance to regions seeking to jump-start planning processes by collating spatial information and carrying out exploratory analyses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Sewers, water pipes, and streets are elements of our civil infrastructure, the supporting structure of society. Infrastructure is a complex technical system that provides us with a varied range of essential services; a storehouse of resources and wealth that each generation inherits, uses, and passes on to succeeding generations. The asset management has a big influence on infrastructure development and use: undertaken and executed without fully recognizing the complexity, diversity, and social and technological evolution of the system almost inevitably squander economic, environmental, social, and cultural resources. The challenges of managing these assets most effectively are substantial: the inefficiencies are widespread and really easy to see: jammed traffic on roads designed to carry only a fraction of the current demand, newly-resurfaced city streets open to repair aged subsurface pipes, basements flooded in case of insistent heavy rain, etc. In existing asset management systems often information is not efficiently used in decisional process, which results in much waste in time and effort. It is necessary to develop life-cycle management systems of infrastructure to overcome this problem. The system must integrate geographic information, design data, inspection and maintenance data. Emphasis is placed on development of decision-support tools for municipal infrastructure management. The study identifies the challenges for maintenance, repair and renewal planning faced by asset owners and managers. Integration with existing systems such as Computerized Maintenance Management Systems, Geographic Information Systems, is seen as the largest challenge for developing and using decisionsupport tools in the area of asset management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Recurrence of recent large wildfires is threatening the permanence of Pinus nigra Arnold (Black pine) forests in central Catalonia (NE Spain), due to the almost nil post-fire regeneration of this non-serotinous pine. Potential practices to carry out extensive reforestation programs with P. nigra may differ widely in terms of their final success, economic cost and undesired ecological impact. In this framework, we have analysed different types of vegetation clearing (mechanical, controlled burning or grazing), soil preparation (ripping or planting holes) and reforestation methods (broadcast seeding, spot seeding and planting) to restore P. nigra forests. We have compared these practices in terms of seedling establishment, but also in the light of their economic costs and ecological impact, through a new multi-criteria analysis. Seedling establishment after sowing was very poor and not influenced by vegetation clearing. In plantations, seedling survival was higher in the ripper treatment than in planting holes for all vegetation clearing treatments except the control one. Nevertheless, the higher economic cost of the planting holes treatment and the negative impact of mechanical clearing and burning on the small mammals community made the stated differences in seedling survival irrelevant. Thus, the multi-criteria analysis revealed that the two most preferred options were planting in uncleared or lightly grazed areas with soil preparation through ripping. This study gives some valuable insights about the use of new decision-support tools in restoration programs and provides practical guidelines concerning the restoration of extensive burned P. nigra forests. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Growing consensus on incorporating value pluralism into ES assessment. • Review of 6 review studies of decision-support tools for ES assessment. • Review shows there is little attention for value pluralism in decision-support tools. • Indicate three conditions to be fulfilled to incorporate value pluralism in tools. There have been several pleas for more inclusive ecosystem services assessments in recent years. This is partially due to a growing consensus about the importance of incorporating value pluralism into ecosystem services assessments. While there is increasingly attention for such value pluralism in academia and at the IPBES science policy interface, this concern barely reached many conservation practitioners, as indicated in studies reviewing decision support tools for ecosystem services. We examined six review studies of such tools and this revealed there is indeed little attention for value pluralism and only a part of the tools provides the conceptual space to incorporate value pluralism. The growing scientific and science-policy consensus that recognizing value pluralism is key for inclusive assessments can only be translated in actions if there is a connection to the field. Users of ecosystem services assessment tools should have the opportunity to select value-inclusive tools, as this can lead to a stronger support base for conservation actions, prevent conflict, and lead to more comprehensive ecosystem services assessments. This does not imply that all tools need to focus on values; the actual goal of a specific ecosystem services assessment tool is context-specific. If scientists want the plural valuation debate to have an impact on conservation practices, three conditions need to be fulfilled: (i) developing value-inclusive decision-support tools; (ii) clarifying when to use value inclusive tools; and (iii) learning from and sharing of value-inclusive tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity offsetting, or compensatory mitigation, is increasingly being used in temperate grassland ecosystems to compensate for unavoidable environmental damage from anthropogenic developments such as transportation infrastructure, urbanization, and energy development. Pursuit of energy independence in the United States will expand domestic energy production. Concurrent with this increased growth is increased disruption to wildlife habitats, including avian displacement from suitable breeding habitat. Recent studies at energy‐extraction and energy‐generation facilities have provided evidence for behavioral avoidance and thus reduced use of habitat by breeding waterfowl and grassland birds in the vicinity of energy infrastructure. To quantify and compensate for this loss in value of avian breeding habitat, it is necessary to determine a biologically based currency so that the sufficiency of offsets in terms of biological equivalent value can be obtained. We describe a method for quantifying the amount of habitat needed to provide equivalent biological value for avifauna displaced by energy and transportation infrastructure, based on the ability to define five metrics: impact distance, impact area, pre‐impact density, percent displacement, and offset density. We calculate percent displacement values for breeding waterfowl and grassland birds and demonstrate the applicability of our avian‐impact offset method using examples for wind and oil infrastructure. We also apply our method to an example in which the biological value of the offset habitat is similar to the impacted habitat, based on similarity in habitat type (e.g., native prairie), geographical location, land use, and landscape composition, as well as to an example in which the biological value of the offset habitat is dissimilar to the impacted habitat. We provide a worksheet that informs potential users how to apply our method to their specific developments and a framework for developing decision‐support tools aimed at achieving landscape‐level conservation goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]