Abstract
The main objective of this study is to apply geographic information system (GIS) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in assessing rattan production potential. The methodological approach of this paper is analyzing environmental factors inside GIS through Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) method in order to identify and define areas of rattan production potential for sustainable management and harvesting at watershed protection and forest management board (WPFMB) of Nam Dong district of Thua Thien Hue province. The overall relative importance weights of factors and variables are estimated using pair-wise comparison matrix of AHP method. The study results showed that 91.2 % of total natural area has potential for rattan production, of which 40 % belongs to high potential group, 44.7 % belongs to moderate and 5.5 % belongs to low. The results of this study not only help the forest managers of Nam Dong WPFMB in planning rattan use effectively, but also create a rattan database for management and sustainable use of rattan resources.
Keywords: Analytic Hierarchy Process, geographic information system, rattan production potential, Weighted Linear Combination.