Environmental management of Natura 2000 network areas through the combination of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods. Case study in south-eastern Spain

•GIS and MCDM methods are used to obtain a ranking of alternatives.•The alternatives are military heritage areas belong to the Natura 2000 network.•GIS are applied to generate the database of alternatives and criteria.•The weights of the criteria are obtained with AHP methodology.•TOPSIS method is implemented to assess and prioritize the alternatives.

The Spanish Ministry of Defense possesses more than 37,000 ha located within the Natura 2000 network. Defense activities require wide natural spaces that, over time, have become landscapes which are natural reserves of biodiversity. Therefore, an analysis of these areas in order to carry out environmental managements is advisable. Spatial visualization tools such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) clearly make this task easier. However, it is also necessary to take into account the criteria which influence the decision problem. For these reasons, the combination of a GIS tool with two Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), is proposed. The AHP methodology is applied to obtain the weight of the criteria while the TOPSIS method provides a ranking of alternatives. Natural spaces located in south-eastern Spain, constitute the study area. The results highlight that the most vulnerable area that should have a priority treatment corresponds to Mar Menor area.

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