Multiple criteria decision making approaches to assessing forest sustainability using criteria and indicators: a case study $ Guillermo A. Mendoza a,* , R. Prabhu b a Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA b Center for International Forestry Research, Bogor, Indonesia Received 12 March 1999; accepted 6 July 1999 Abstract This paper describes the use of multiple criteria decision making techniques as decision tools for assessing criteria and indicators designed to evaluate sustainable forest management. Three techniques called ranking, rating, and pairwise comparisons are described and used within the framework of a generic set of criteria and indicators applied in a case study involving a forest concession in Kalimantan, Indonesia. For the case study, an assessment team consisting of national and international experts representing various disciplines was chosen to conduct an assessment of the forest concession. The criteria and indicators (C&I) developed by the Center for International Forestry Research was used as a reference. From this generic set of C&I, the assessment team made revisions to make the set more relevant to the prevailing conditions in the forest concession. This modi®ed set was used in the assessment of the concession. Results from the study indicate that these techniques are effective tools both for selecting sets of criteria and indicators and eventually for prioritizing them. The methods are highly transparent, easy to understand, and offer a convenient environment for participatory decision making. These are desirable features of any evaluation process but most especially for a complex assessment problem such as forest sustainability. # 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Sustainable forest management; Criteria and indicators; Multi-criteria decision making; Participatory decision making 1. Background The concept of sustainability has become a domi- nant paradigm for the management of the remaining global forests, particularly the tropical forests. Along with this concept, several initiatives mainly through the efforts of international organizations such as the International Tropical Timber Trade Organization (ITTO, 1992) have been launched for the purpose of ensuring that sustainable management of the remaining forests can be achieved. One of such initia- tives is the development of Criteria and Indicators as primary instruments for measuring and monitoring the sustainability of forests. For example, Prabhu et al. (1996) reported the ®ndings of a comprehensive study Forest Ecology and Management 131 (2000) 107±126 $ This study was a collaborative project funded in part by the University of Illinois and the Center for International Forestry Research through Project 4 entitled, ``Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Tropical Forest Management''. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of CIFOR * Corresponding author. 0378-1127/00/$ ± see front matter # 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII:S0378-1127(99)00204-2