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Understanding The Decision Context: DPSIR, Decision Landscape, And Social Network Analysis
Citation:
Rehr, A., M. Small, P. BRADLEY, W. S. FISHER, K. Black, T. Stockton, M. TENBRINK, A. M. VEGA, AND B. DYSON. Understanding The Decision Context: DPSIR, Decision Landscape, And Social Network Analysis. Presented at USEPA ORD ESRP 3rd Annual Science Conference, Las Vegas, NV, October 19 - 21, 2010.
Impact/Purpose:
To discuss how three tools (the Driving Forces-Pressures-States-Impacts-Responses framework, Decision Landscape, and Social network Analysis) are useful for defining the decision context for effective environmental decision-making.
Description:
Establishing the decision context for a management problem is the critical first step for effective decision analysis. Understanding the decision context allow stakeholders and decision-makers to integrate the societal, environmental, and economic considerations that must be considered when developing management actions. Three tools are presented, the Driving Forces-Pressures-States-Impacts-Responses framework (DPSIR), Decision Landscape (DL), and Social Network Analysis (SNA) which initiate the decision analysis process through characterizing the decision context. DPSIR captures the scientific setting or the causal relationships among socioeconomic drivers, physical processes, and responses. DL describes the political, regulatory, and institutional setting; i.e., the relationship among participants, objectives, management options, regulatory constraints, information and valuation. And SNA delineates the stakeholder setting, or communication and information flows between participants. Together these tools facilitate the development of a decision framework by decision makers that: 1) incorporates relevant scientific knowledge; 2) incorporates perceived and real environmental outcomes; 3) explores differences in ecosystem services and values; 4) recognizes uncertainties in the assessments; and 5) identifies monitoring projects to reduce uncertainty. Example applications of these tools are demonstrated for the Neuse River Watershed and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT ROGER B. YEARDLEY, JR., THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER SPECIALIST OF THE LAND REMEDIATION AND POLLUTION CONTROL DIVISION, AT 513-569-7548.