Incorporating local researchers′ and decision makers′ preferences for groundwater resources management in a spatial multi-voiced decision model

Water is a crucial and highly sensitive political issue. The overexploitation of groundwater resources and deterioration of water quality caused by pollution as well as the deficiencies of the existing infrastructure require immediate attention. The main goal of this paper is to carry out a multi-voiced multicriteria analysis that integrates the preferences of local researchers and decision makers in a process aimed at prioritizing watersheds that require the implementation of groundwater management instruments. Using the Criterium Decision Plus system, criteria and subcriteria were integrated into a spatial multi-voiced decision model for the prioritization of watersheds for groundwater resources management. The criteria chosen were Groundwater quality, Groundwater quantity, Land use with potential pollutant load, Equity and Intrinsic aquifer vulnerability. Criteria and subcriteria preferences analysis were derived from workshops with local researchers and decision makers. The spatial multi-voiced decision model identified five of the fourteen watersheds as high to very high priority and requiring groundwater resources management. Based on the local researchers' and decision makers' preferences and hierarchy scheme of the multi-voiced decision model the main criteria and subcriteria that contributed to the final model results were identified. Regarding the criteria, Groundwater quality, Equity and Groundwater quantity contributed extensively to the model. The subcriteria contributions to the groundwater resources management came mainly from High intrinsic aquifer vulnerability, Agrochemicals, Groundwater Storage and Groundwater for domestic supply. This proposed procedure showed that time and effort can be directed to using data and preferences to assist in planning and decision making for groundwater resources management. •A multi-voiced multicriteria analysis was implemented to prioritize watersheds that require of groundwater management instruments.•The model structure consists of 5 criteria, 20 subcriteria and 14 alternatives (watersheds).•The spatial multi-voiced decision model identified five of the fourteen watersheds as very high to high priority.•The integration of measured preferences as weights in the spatial multi-voiced multicriteria analysis fostered a strong interaction between local researchers and decision makers.