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Application of a fuzzy logic approach for linking hydro-ecological simulation output to decision support
DESMOND YAW MANFUL1, GISELHER KAULE1 &NICK van de GIESEN2
1 Institute of Landscape Planning & Ecology, Universität Stuttgart, Keplerstraße 11, Stuttgart D-70174, Germany
2 Water Resources Management, Technical University of Delft, PO Box 5048, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands
Abstract Riverine ecosystems are critical habitats for a variety of threatened species. They are under continuous threat of destruction and are bedevilled with complex hydro-environmental problems. Mathematical models can serve as powerful tools in solving water resources problems. Most of the models available for water management are crisp, deterministic and precise in character. However, most water-related problems are neither crisp nor deterministic. Solutions to such problems require a cocktail of models along with expert knowledge, which is formulated with words. This paper is expected to help bridge the gap between simulation output and policy formulation by proposing a framework for the integration of linguistic guidelines and indicators, developed a priori, into a purely numerical hydro-ecological system. The paper also discusses limitations in the use of traditional numerical models to aid decision support and initiate policy. Principles of the LiNK algorithm concept are illustrated with an example of the impact of a hydropower project on the habitat of endangered hippopotami in a protected park in Ghana, West Africa.
Key words computing with words (CW); fuzzy logic; Ghana; Hippopotamus amphibius; hydro-ecological modelling; hydropower; policy development