Land suitability assessment (LSA) for aquaculture site selection via an integrated GIS-DANP multi-criteria method; a case study of lorestan province, Iran

Lorestan province has a high potential for aquaculture development due to its geographical and climatic conditions. This study investigated the possibility of aquaculture development in Lorestan province using GIS-based DANP. The relationship between criteria was considered by the DEMATEL method. The criteria were weighted using the ANP method. The ArcGIS 10.6.1 software was utilized for digitization and assessing the criteria maps. All criteria were gathered through the literature review, experts and the local condition. The 21 criteria were classified into three dimensions: water quality, soil quality and infrastructural and land use. According to the final land suitability map, Lorestan province land classified as three classes for aquaculture development including the best suitable, the moderately suitable and the least suitable areas (2.99%, 13.81% and 27.46% respectively). The most suitable sites were located near rivers and existing fish farms. The sensitivity analysis confirmed that DANP integrated with GIS can be utilized as an integrated approach for aquaculture site selection purposes.