Sustainable water resources allocation for wetlands based on triple bottom line analytical hierarchy collaborative...

Hydrological restoration of wetlands has become a critical pressing issue in environmental preservation due to climate change. This study seeks to develop a novel methodology to identify which type of water resources available are the most appropriate for restoring a particular wetland, considering a holistic perspective based on the triple bottom line (TBL) assessment, which is a logical framework for identifying and integrating social, environmental, and economic factors into decision-making processes. The elicitation was addressed through a comprehensive holistic index using analytic hierarchy process for ranking TBL dimensions and drivers. This new hybrid technique was applied for elaborating sustainable rules of water allocation to restore the wetlands of the Tablas de Daimiel National Park, located in central Spain. The environmental dimension was analyzed using six drivers: the synergistic use of infrastructures, the water resources location, the wastewater reuse, the energy consumption, the landscape degradation, and the impact on water resources. The social dimension was evaluated measuring three drivers: community acceptance, political acceptance, and market acceptance. And finally, the economic dimension was assessed through the expropriation of land costs, the infrastructure costs, the maintenance costs, and opportunity costs associated. These drivers guarantee traceability and transparency in the elicitation process, becoming a novel allocation framework to support policy makers in wetland conservation. Applying the proposed methodology, Tagus-Segura interbasin water transfer is the best ranked option (83.13%), closely followed by pumping well areas (79.12 and 78.24%) and wastewater recycling plants (74.34 and 68.26%). The unique holistic index proposed is a transparent and traceable decision support tool to address water allocation in wetland restoration.