Multi-criteria decision making analysis for responsible management of marine protected area in Semporna Sabah, Malaysia
This study aims to develop a multi-criteria decision making model to analyse and investigate stakeholders’ preferences in Marine Protected Area Management towards a responsible management approach in Semporna, Sabah. This study was driven by the challenges faced by Sabah Parks in Managing Marine...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2016
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/69869/1/IPTPH%202016%203%20-%20IR.pdf |
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| Summary: | This study aims to develop a multi-criteria decision making model to analyse and
investigate stakeholders’ preferences in Marine Protected Area Management towards a
responsible management approach in Semporna, Sabah. This study was driven by the
challenges faced by Sabah Parks in Managing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Sabah
Parks have to deal with resource conflicts that include stakeholders’ interests in the
decision-making process. The objectives of this study are: (i) to identify the current
practices for the responsible management of the MPAs in Semporna; (ii) to identify
critical decision making criteria related to the responsible management of these MPAs;
(iii) to develop a decision-making model to analyse the decision criteria preference
towards responsible management of the MPA in Semporna. This study adopts an
exploratory sequential mixed methods approach through the lens of a critical realist
employing multi-criteria decision-making as the underpinning theory. Data was
collected from two main sources, namely, stakeholders, and documents related to MPA
management. This data was used in three stages. In the first two stages, the modified
Delphi method was used to gather the background of MPA management and criteria
relevant to decision making towards responsible management from a group of selected
experts. An in-depth interview was conducted during the first stage, while a structured
questionnaire was applied during the second. Thematic analysis was applied on the data
during the first stage. Criteria reduction using a geometric mean was performed for the
questionnaire in the second stage. In the third stage, the questionnaire using pairwise
comparison was fed to the Analytical Hierarchical Model (AHP) to analyse stakeholder
decision-making preferences. The key contributions of this study in addressing
responsible MPA management in Semporna, Sabah include: (i) a methodological
contribution in analysing stakeholder preferences using AHP; (ii) the identification of
decision objectives and critical criteria in the decision making process towards
responsible MPA management; and (iii) acquiring deeper insights on stakeholders’
perceptions and choice of management alternatives towards responsible MPA
management. This study provides valuable insights on the issue related to MPA
management, and on the perception of stakeholders on the manner in which MPAs in
Semporna should be managed. The findings are of benefit to Sabah Parks in
understanding the underlying conflicts that exist in the current management practice,
and the expectations of stakeholders, especially the local community. Moreover, the findings provide better insights on core issues of responsible MPA management in a
general sense, which focus on the human factor, rather than purely on ecological
factors. This would enable policy makers and institutions that manage MPAs to
evaluate current practices of MPA management, and consider including social factors
in their decision-making processes. |
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