Comparative analysis of different alternatives for sustainable short rotation woody crops in Central Italy

Short rotation woody crops (SRWCs) can be a sustainable solution for producing biomass for bioenergy and, at the same time, mitigating CO₂ emissions. Although the contribution SRWCs can give to the transition to a low-carbon energy economy, farmers are hesitant to introduce them, as they have a low added value and there are uncertain economic prospects for cultivating SRWCs. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the economic sustainability of poplar woodchip production in Central Italy. Thus, the work compares three plantations, characterized by different durations (one year, two years, and five years) and harvesting systems, to identify the solution with the optimal duration. The results show that the quinquennial harvesting system is the most advantageous according to all the indicators, whereas the biennial performs the worst.

Assessing Progress Towards SDGs Implementation Using Multiple Reference Point Based Multicriteria Methods: The Case Study of the European Countries

To achieve the UN 2030 Agenda Goals, and considering their complexity and multidisciplinary, Multi-criteria analysis appears to be a suitable approach to give a true support to public decision makers in defining policy lines. This study focuses on the application of the Multiple Reference Point Weak-Strong Composite Indicators (MRP-WSCI) and its partially compensatory version (MRP-PCI), to assess, in the framework of the UN 2030 Agenda, the sustainability of the 28 members of the European Union (pre-Brexit). Countries were analyzed and compared according to their conditions and progress against the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, considering three reference years: 2007, 2012 and 2017. The analysis shows that Nordic countries reach a good level of global sustainability, with values of the indicators, W-W-W and S-W-W, between 2 and 3; while the States of east Europe, in particular Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, stay at the worst levels, having overall indicators values less than 1.5. Furthermore, the results highlight how countries in the lower group have difficulties especially in social and economic sustainability. On the other hand, states with a good overall condition record the worst results in the environmental dimension, such as the Netherlands, which shows, for the year 2017, a value for this sphere less than 2, while in the other two show a good value (over 2.5).

Sustainability of Rearing System Using Multicriteria Analysis: Application in Commercial Poultry Production

The aim of the present study was to develop a multicriteria model for the comparison of three commercial poultry farms: organic with Ross 308 genotype (OR), organic with Naked Neck genotype (ONN) and a conventional system (C), which represents the most common commercial farming system. A model based on multicriteria decision analysis was developed, considering for the first time the One Welfare approach in an operational manner, including three dimensions: human, environmental and animal welfare. The three alternatives demonstrated different performances, according to the different dimensions considered. In particular, the two organic systems performed better for human welfare and animal welfare, with relevant differences due to the genetic strains used. Conventional rearing performed better for the environment index due to the method chosen. The multicriteria analysis showed that the organic system performed better overall than the conventional system. In particular, the use of an adapted Slow Growing (SG) strain positively affected the final rank, mainly by reducing welfare problems and producing good economic and social performance. The stability of the results was verified by performing a sensitivity analysis, specifically a weight stability analysis, which confirmed the strength of results.

A model for measuring the environmental sustainability of events

Like all human activities, events can generate significant pressures on environmental resources, unless they are well-managed and monitored. Therefore, it is becoming more and more important to develop models that can measure their environmental sustainability. Although increasing attention is being paid to this sector, there is currently no standard protocol or method to assess the eco-sustainability of events. This article presents an innovative assessment procedure to measure the environmental sustainability of events. It is based on several indicators, combined by means of a multi-criteria approach and aggregated into a final index, which we called METER (Measuring Events Through Environmental Research). The METER index uses nine major operational categories, divided in sub-categories and detailed items, which cover all the main aspects concerning environmental sustainability of an event and are evaluated for all its phases, i.e. planning, organisation, implementation, post event. The index is fairly analytical, and is thus able to represent the numerous aspects to be taken into consideration in the environmental assessment of an event. At the same time, it is simple to apply and user-friendly, thanks to its graphics and effective communication of the web platform within it is implemented. Moreover, METER is based on a participatory approach using the bottom-up model and on the principle of subsidiarity. All official international documents regarding sustainable development now require subsidiarity. However, it is not being currently applied as part of any certification or with any evaluation tool. Therefore, although the index is still a prototype, it represents an innovation in the field of environmental management. A simple exemplary case is presented, about a European Spring School held at University of Perugia (Italy) in 2014, in which the application of METER showed a sustainability assessment score of 638 points out of 1000, with an excellent management of waste, catering, internal travel and participation aspects.

Decision support systems for environmental management: a case study on wastewater from agriculture

Dealing with spatial decision problems means combining and transforming geographical data (input) into a resultant decision (output), interfacing a Geographical Information System (GIS) with Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methods. The conventional MCDA approach assumes the spatial homogeneity of alternatives within the case study area, although it is often unrealistic. On the other side, GIS provides excellent data acquisition, storage, manipulation and analysis capabilities, but in the case of a value structure analysis this capability is lower. For these reasons, several studies in the last twenty years have given attention to MCDA-GIS integration and to the development of Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS). Hitherto, most of these applications are based only on a formal integration between the two approaches. In this paper, we propose a complete MCDA-GIS integration with a plurality of MCDA methodologies, grouped in a suite. More precisely, we considered an open-source GIS (GRASS GIS 6.4) and a modular package including five MCDA modules based on five different methodologies. The methods included are: ELECTRE I, Fuzzy set, REGIME analysis, Analytic Hierarchy Process and Dominance-based Rough Set Approach. Thanks to the modular nature of the package, it is possible to add new methods without modifying the existing structure. To present the suite, we applied each module to the same case study, making comparisons. The strong points of the MCDA-GIS integration we developed are its open-source setting and the user friendly interface, both thanks to GRASS GIS, and the use of raster data. Moreover, our suite is a genuine case of perfect integration, where the spatial nature of criteria is always present.

Assessing Rural Sustainable Development potentialities using a Dominance-based Rough Set Approach

Rural Development is a priority in Europe and it is supported by specific, financial programmes. At the same time, sustainability is the key word for the European Union to construct programmes and policies for all human activities. However, measuring sustainability of rural areas is not easy, due to their particular features. The improvement of knowledge on sustainability in rural areas is important to build long term policies and strategies for those territories. The objective of this study is the development of a decision support system based on the Dominance-based Rough Set Approach (DRSA), to assess the level of Rural Sustainable Development in specific areas. We used DRSA to analyze the level of sustainability of the 92 municipalities of the Region of Umbria, Italy. The results were synthesized in a final ranking, taking into account the equilibrium and the integration between development and sustainability of each municipality. DRSA showed a high potential in the context of management or planning, and for supporting Decision Makers. DRSA is able to give a ranking as well as an explanation of the main factors driving sustainable development in rural areas.

Development of policies for Natura 2000 sites: a multi-criteria approach to support decision makers

The aim of this study is to present a methodology to support decision makers in the choice of Natura 2000 sites needing an appropriate management plan to ensure a sustainable socio-economic development. In order to promote sustainable development in the Natura 2000 sites compatible with nature preservation, conservation measures or management plans are necessary. The main issue is to decide when only conservation measures can be applied and when the sites need an appropriate management plan. We present a case study for the Italian Region of Umbria. The methodology is based on a multi-criteria approach to identify the biodiversity index (BI), and on the development of a human activities index (HAI). By crossing the two indexes for each site on a Cartesian plane, four groups of sites were identified. Each group corresponds to a specific need for an appropriate management plan. Sites in the first group with a high level both of biodiversity and human activities have the most urgent need of an appropriate management plan to ensure sustainable development. The proposed methodology and analysis is replicable in other regions or countries by using the data available for each site in the Natura 2000 standard data form. A multi-criteria analysis is especially suitable for supporting decision makers when they deal with a multidimensional decision process. We found the multi-criteria approach particularly sound in this case, due to the concept of biodiversity itself, which is complex and multidimensional, and to the high number of alternatives (Natura 2000 sites) to be assessed.

Measuring sustainable development using a multi-criteria model: a case study

This paper shows how Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) can help in a complex process such as the assessment of the level of sustainability of a certain area. The paper presents the results of a study in which a model for measuring sustainability was implemented to better aid public policy decisions regarding sustainability. In order to assess sustainability in specific areas, a methodological approach based on multi-criteria analysis has been developed. The aim is to rank areas in order to understand the specific technical and/or financial support that they need to develop sustainable growth. The case study presented is an assessment of the level of sustainability in different areas of an Italian Region using the MCDA approach. Our results show that MCDA is a proper approach for sustainability assessment. The results are easy to understand and the evaluation path is clear and transparent. This is what decision makers need for having support to their decisions. The multi-criteria model for evaluation has been developed respecting the sustainable development economic theory, so that final results can have a clear meaning in terms of sustainability.

Environmental quality and hog production

This paper has been presented at a meeting of the National Research Council in February 1995, in Perugia, Italy. This is a preview of that which is to be the final product of the study: a manual for evaluating the environmental impact of pig-breeding farms. The most important issues in the environment-hog production relationship are discussed. After that, some elements for a sustainable swine production are focused. To solve the pig-breeding/environment conflict is not an easy task. The challenge is to find the right compromises, adopting all possible technologies for minimizing the impact on the environment. Since the first problem is the risk of water pollution due to manure, it is important to study the best solutions from the viewpoint of the watershed, taking into account the interactions and synergies occurring in the drainage system, and especially for the communities at the lower part of the basin. Therefore it becomes more and more of an absolute necessity to plan and manage resources using the watershed as a reference.