Mesta: An internet-based decision-support application for participatory strategic-level natural resources planning

We tested the Mesta Internet-based decision-support application in connection with a natural resources planning (NRP) process in Eastern and Western Lapland, Finland. The aim in this process was to define the land-use allocation and the corresponding forest management operations for state-owned forests within these planning regions. Mesta was used in examining and evaluating the strategy alternatives from the viewpoint of the stakeholders' objectives. The basic idea in using Mesta is to define the acceptance thresholds that divide the alternatives into ‘acceptable’ and ‘not acceptable’ alternatives with respect to each decision criterion. The thresholds are adjusted holistically, i.e. so that all decision criteria and criteria values of all decision alternatives are simultaneously visible from the user interface. The holistic adjustment process is continued until an acceptable solution compliant with the production possibilities of the planning area is found. In the NRP process, the members of the stakeholder group first used Mesta individually to set their own thresholds. Next, the participants' acceptance thresholds were combined and a negotiation process was launched to find the group's common acceptance thresholds. This negotiation was also supported by Mesta. The result of the negotiation was that the participants were able to collaboratively decide on their recommendation for the future land-use allocation and the forest management principles to be applied in the two planning regions. The main benefit of Mesta as a decision-support tool during the negotiation process of the group was that the participants were forced to merge their preferences with the realistic production possibilities of the planning regions.