1. Defining the problem

The tasks involved in this phase are

1. Identification of stakeholders

• It means finding out who are affected by the decisions, and who should therefore be involved.

2. Knowledge gathering and sharing

• It means e.g. that some participative GIS/KM tools are used for gathering local or expert knowledge and sharing it with other stakeholders.

- Participatory GIS could be used for locating certain (socially, culturally or ecologically) valuable places (e.g. Hytänen et al 2002, Tyrväinen et al. 2007).

- MCA tools could be used for evaluating the effect of a given option of forestry on the criteria and indicators (e.g. Kangas et al. 2000, Mustajoki et al. 2011).

3. Formulating criteria

• It means e.g. cognitive mapping tools that can be used to clarify the goals the stakeholders have (e.g. Tikkanen et al. 2007)

4. Definition of criteria

• It means, for instance, that measurable indicators for the criteria are defined (e.g. Mendoza & Prabhu)

5. Eliciting preferences

• It can mean using MCA tools for evaluating the criteria and indicators (Kangas et al. 2008).

Hytönen, L.A., Leskinen, P. & Store, R. 2002. A spatial approach to participatory planning in forestry decision making. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 17:62-71.

Kangas, J., Store, R., Leskinen, P. & Mehtätalo, L. 2000. Improving the quality of landscape ecological forest planning by utilizing advanced decision-support tools. Forest Ecology and Management 132:157-171.

Mustajoki J., Saarikoski H., Marttunen M., Ahtikoski A., Hallikainen V., Helle T., Hyppönen M., Jokinen M., Naskali A., Tuulentie S., Varmola M., Vatanen E., Ylisirniö A.L. 2011. Use of decision analysis interviews to support the sustainable use of the forests in Finnish Upper Lapland. Journal of Environmental Management 92: 1550-1563.

Tikkanen, J., Isokääntä, T. Pykäläinen, J. and Leskinen, P. 2006. Applying cognitive mapping approach to explore the objective structure of forest owners in a Northern Finnish case area. Forest Policy and Economics

Tyrväinen, L., Mäkinen, K. & Schipperijn, J. 2007. Tools for mapping social values of urban woodlands and other green areas. Landscape and Urban Planning79:5-19.