Identification of priority areas for water conservation in the Alto Iguaçu basin, Brazil

Abstract

Geoprocessing tools are great allies in the management of water resources, with which it is possible to evaluate several factors integrated in a multicriteria analysis. This improves the interpretation of the behavior of water and soil in hydrographic basins, enabling the delimitation of priority areas for actions. The objective of this study was to prepare a map of priority areas for water conservation in the Alto Iguaçu basin through a multicriteria analysis, aiming to assist in the management of water resources in the region. The priority map for water conservation was prepared using the weighted linear combination (WLC) method, considering the weight added to the factors that were obtained by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. The method successfully identified priority areas for water conservation, where 40.7% of the Alto Iguaçu watershed was considered high priority and very high priority, a number consistent with regional characteristics. The multicriteria analysis proved to be a flexible and easy‐to‐implement methodology, which can help managers when considering the trade‐offs among several factors. The implementation of water conservation actions in areas that have been classified as being of high and very high priority can benefit the regional ecosystem, controlling erosion, regulating the flow of water and thus conserving the quantity and quality of water in the basin and its downstream region, benefitting the population and regional economics.