Social multi-criteria evaluation as a decision support tool for integrated coastal zone management Eneko Garmendia a, b, * , Gonzalo Gamboa b , Javier Franco c , Joxe Mikel Garmendia c , Pedro Liria c , Marta Olazabal d, e a Environmental Economics Unit, Institute for Public Economics, University of the Basque Country, Spain b Institute for Environmental Sciences and Technologies (ICTA), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain c AZTI-Tecnalia, Marine Research Division, Herrera Kaia e Portualdea z/g, 20110-Pasaia, Spain d LABEIN-Tecnalia, Urban and Industrial Environment Unit, Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia, 48160 Derio, Spain e Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge, CB3 9EP, United Kingdom article info Article history: Available online 21 May 2010 abstract Traditional top-down and technocratic approaches seem to be insufficient to tackle the many conflicts related to the sustainable use of natural resources. At the same time, reductionist and mono-disciplinary approaches lack the capacity to capture the complex interactions within evolving socio-ecological systems. Coastal zone management is an area that provides a clear example of such difficulties. In this paper we explore the scope of a participatory integrated assessment process, known as Social Multi- Criteria Evaluation (SMCE), in the context of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). Through a two-year collaborative research process, between an interdisciplinary group of researchers and a diverse group of stakeholders in the Urdaibai Estuary (a Biosphere Reserve in the Basque Country, Northern Spain), we show that improving the integration of diverse expertise and values can lead, through a mutual learning process, to the definition of relevant policy options and sound decisions in the face of complexity, value conflict and unavoidable uncertainty. Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction In the past, the failure of research to account for the full spec- trum of natural system functions and human system complexity has often hindered its ability to produce realistic results that lead to informed policies [1]. In coastal areas this situation has been exacerbated by inappropriate managerial interventions [2]. Hard engineering solutions and command and control approaches, which neglected the diversity of social actors and the multiple scales of complex socio-ecological issues, have been shown to be insufficient for solving many contemporary issues related to coastal zone management. Global trends show a decline in the quality of these regions due to habitat loss, decline in water quality, collapse of fisheries or loss of biodiversity [3,4]. In recent years, increasing attention has been given to the inclusion of participatory approaches in natural resource manage- ment and policy making [5e14] and ICZM has also shifted to a more deliberate role worldwide [15e19]. Claims for the active and sustained involvement of different stakeholders and citizens in how coastal resources are allocated and conflicts mediated come from different strands [2,3,9,20e27]. Nevertheless, efforts in this direction still need further attention. In this paper we will try to address the following key questions: (i) How do we make operational the claim for more inclusive approaches in ICZM? (ii) Aiming to provide better management options for our coastal systems, how could we enhance participatory approaches capable of integrating a wide range of scientists, coming from different disciplines, with a broader public and stakeholders, with different values and interests, in a collaborative and inclusive partnership? (iii) How could we deal with fuzzy, uncertain and often incomplete information about the complex socio-ecological systems (SES) that surround us [28]? Our understanding of how natural and social systems interact, over long time periods and along the spatial scale, needs to be substantiated by democratic mechanisms that can deal with the inherent problems of continuous change, irreversibility, uncertainty and multiple legiti- mate standpoints of the systems [5]. In this context it is difficult to find * Corresponding author. Environmental Economics Unit, Institute for Public Economics, University of the Basque Country, Spain. Tel.: þ34 946017103; fax: þ34 946017100. E-mail address: eneko.garmendia@ehu.es (E. Garmendia). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Ocean & Coastal Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ocecoaman 0964-5691/$ e see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2010.05.001 Ocean & Coastal Management 53 (2010) 385e403