Territorial plannnig in a river basin with high erosion level using multicriteria decision methods in cordoba province(argentine)

Abstract

The erosion-sedimentation-flooding processes in large zones of Argentine are a critical problem that involve complex relationships with technological, economic, social and environmental cause-effect. The increasing of agricultural activities in new areas previously with forestry or pasture could produce irreversible environmental impacts. It is necessary to prepare a spatial plan taking into consideration, economic development, social cohesion, environmental quality and progressive desertification. Multicriteria decision models contribute to the elaboration of that plan and provide an inestimable aid to decision makers. The objective of this paper is to elaborate a multicriteria model applied to the La Colacha Basin (Cordoba-Argentine). La Colacha Basin has 416 km2, it is a representative basin of a dry-sub-humid area where agriculture practices are progressively increased. Ten alternatives have been evaluated combining: (a) Agro-forest-pastoral (ASP), Present use (ACT) e Intensive use (INT), (b) with or without Soil conservation (CS), y (c) with or without Hydrological arrangement of the basin (OH). There have been selected 13 criteria. Different Multi-criteria Decision Methods, both of traditional or developed by the authors, have been used.