Prioritizing biosecurity risks using a participatory decision-making tool

A decision framework called Deliberative Multi-Criteria Evaluation (DMCE) was developed and deployed to prioritize biosecurity risks using a variety of subjective and objective information. To aid stakeholders in the prioritization of Emergency Plant Pest (EPP) species risk, we presented them with outputs from a Stella-based bioeconomic pest risk model, and probable ecological and socioeconomic impacts. The stakeholder participants weighted the consequence criteria they deemed to have the highest expected impact. Themethodology featured an uncertain set of parameters, multiple iterations of criteria weighting along with real-time sensitivity analysis. Of the five criteria, economic cost was weighted the highest at 26% while landscape amenity was weighted the lowest at the 10-12% range. The increased understanding and support gained by stakeholders through the DMCE process provided a greater likelihood of the sanctioning of the policies concerned and progress toward desired outcomes.