Case studies
Description of the Decision Process
The adaptation strategy development process made use of a structured decision making (SDM) approach. SDM is based on the techniques of multiattribute utility analysis (Keeney & Raiffa, 1993) and decision analysis (Clemen, 1996). These techniques have been developed to assist decision makers – be they individuals, community members, local planners and engineers, industry managers, or elected government officials – in the identification of preferred actions and strategies under conditions marked by multiple value dimensions and substantial uncertainty as to the consequences of management actions.
In this case, the goal was not to arrive at 'a decision outcome' but make recommendations to decision makers based on the insights of workshop participants. Three workshops were run over the course of nearly one year with key stakeholders including community, government (elected officials and municipal planners) and First Nation participants. The results of these workshops were presented to decision makers verbally (through meetings and interviews) and in the form of a widely distributed report.