Designing decision support tools for Mediterranean forest ecosystems management: a case study in Portugal

The effectiveness of Mediterranean forest ecosystem management calls for the conceptualization and implementation of adequate decision support tools. The proposed decision support system encompasses a management information system, a prescription simulator, a constraint generator and a set of management models designed to solve decision problems. Emphasis is on the architecture of the prescription simulator and its linkage to the three other modules, as well as on methods for reporting and visualizing solutions. Results are discussed for a real world test case – Serra de Grândola, a management area with about 18 600 ha comprising 860 cork oak (Quercus suber L.) land units. Cork oak silviculture adds complexity to the traditional forest management problem. Results show that the devised system is able to address effectively the integration of ecosystem data, silviculture, growth-and-yield and management models. They further suggest that the proposed system architecture may help address the complexity of Mediterranean ecosystem management problems.