Multi-criteria analysis process for creation and evaluation of PES alternatives in the Ruka-Kuusamo tourism area

Adoption of a new land-use governance system requires acceptance from involved actors. We present a payments for ecosystem services (PES) design process with multi-criteria analysis (MCA) based evaluation of alternatives within a nature-based tourism area in northern Finland. The tourism activities are located on private lands, which are mainly managed for timber production, negatively affecting landscape and recreational values. Earlier attempts have not catalysed the required action among local actors. To increase the practical operability of the suggested PES an MCA process was organised with stakeholders. Alternative PES systems, meeting the demands of local conditions also in the future, were evaluated against good governance criteria in future scenarios. Then, SWOT analysis was carried out for the preferred alternative to reveal supporting and hindering factors for the uptake of the suggested system. The alternative that is obligatory for visitors to the area was preferred among stakeholders representing foresters and tourism entrepreneurs due to its cost-efficiency and funding base. Its implementation would still require a practically adoptable definition of the PES scheme and new co-management arrangements among the actors operating in the area.