Operations Research Applications In Natural Resources Management

Here is the first systematic handbook treatment of quantitative modeling natural resource problems, their allocated efficient use, and societal and economic impact. Andrés Weintraub is the very top person in Natural Resource research. He has selected co-editors who are at the top of the sub-fields in natural resources: agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and mining. The book covers these areas with contributions from researchers on, among others, modeling natural research problems, quantifying data, and developing algorithms.

The use of operations research (OR) in natural resources management (NRM) is an evolving research field with many application areas. Decision makers in NRM are often not aware of the possibilities that OR techniques offer them to solve their daily challenges. This special issue contributes to close this gap by showing how OR can be useful in different application areas of NRM.

Foresters and natural resource managers must balance conflicting objectives when developing land-management plans. Conflicts may encompass economic, environmental, social, cultural, technical, and aesthetic objectives. Selecting the best combination of management uses from numerous objectives is difficult and challenging. Multi-Criteria Decision Models (MCDM) provide a systematic means for comparing tradeoffs and selecting alternatives that best satisfy the decisionmakergass objectives. In recent years, the use of MCDM in forestry and natural resources management has generated a substantial body of literature. This annotated bibliography includes 124 important references ranging from theoretical studies to real-world applications of MCDM.

This book includes chapters by experts from developing and developed countries that apply game theory to issues in natural resources and the environment, demonstrating the usefulness of game theory in policy-making and appealing to a wide audience.

In 1996 a major six-year research programme, 'Economic Optimisation of Multiple-Use Forestry and Other Natural Resources' was implemented at Department of Economics and Natural Resources, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (KVL), Copenhagen. The research is funded by KVL; The Danish Agricultural and Veterinary Research Council; The Danish Research Academy; The Danish Forest and Landscape Institute; The Danish Forest and Nature Agency; and The Danish Environmental Protection Agency. The overall objective of the research programme is to enhance the economic theory of sustainable multiple-use forestry and landscape management planning. Emphasis is on decision-making ! management planning from an economic point of view, the basic criterion being rationality as implemented by application of Operations Research methods with regard to sustainable and multiple use of forests and other natural resources in the landscape. The research programme benefits from collaboration agreements with University of California at Berkeley, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and Oregon State University, Department of Forest Resources. As part of the research programme, a second international conference and workshop was held 6 - 12 August, 1998 at KVL, with the title: '2nd Berkeley-KVL Conference on Natural Resource Management -Design and Implementation of Multiple-Use Management'. This event was financed by The Danish Research Academy. Some of the papers presented were selected for peer-reviewing and subsequent publishing. The outcome is the present book in which no paper has been previously published.

Operations Research: 1934-1941," 35, 1, 143-152; "British The goal of the Encyclopedia of Operations Research and Operational Research in World War II," 35, 3, 453-470; Management Science is to provide to decision makers and "U. S. Operations Research in World War II," 35, 6, 910-925; problem solvers in business, industry, government and and the 1984 article by Harold Lardner that appeared in academia a comprehensive overview of the wide range of Operations Research: "The Origin of Operational Research," ideas, methodologies, and synergistic forces that combine to 32, 2, 465-475. form the preeminent decision-aiding fields of operations re search and management science (OR/MS). To this end, we The Encyclopedia contains no entries that define the fields enlisted a distinguished international group of academics of operations research and management science. OR and MS and practitioners to contribute articles on subjects for are often equated to one another. If one defines them by the which they are renowned. methodologies they employ, the equation would probably The editors, working with the Encyclopedia's Editorial stand inspection. If one defines them by their historical Advisory Board, surveyed and divided OR/MS into specific developments and the classes of problems they encompass, topics that collectively encompass the foundations, applica the equation becomes fuzzy. The formalism OR grew out of tions, and emerging elements of this ever-changing field. We the operational problems of the British and U. s. military also wanted to establish the close associations that OR/MS efforts in World War II.