Abstract ID: 3.9802 | Accepted as Talk | Poster | TBA | TBA

Ensuring the environmental sustainability of mountain huts presents a unique challenge, as these structures must operate in remote and demanding alpine environments. This thesis investigates the application of a Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) framework for evaluating a group of mountain huts in Trentino (Italy). The evaluation focuses on the environmental sustainability of the operational equipment and on the challenges of the surroundings of each structure (e.g. remoteness, natural water resources). Point-based MCDM analysis is used to rank the mountain huts based on specific criteria. Spatial MCDM is employed to produce a map expressing the availability of natural water resources (WAMap) within the study area. The findings highlight the potential of spatially-based MCDM methods for sustainability assessment of mountain huts. There is strong agreement across multiple MCDM configurations regarding the most and least sustainable huts. Structures with intermediate ranks may have the greatest range for improvement. The Water Availability Map confirms that huts in dolomitic limestone areas are the most threatened by water scarcity driven by climate change and require external solutions. To enhance sustainability efforts, alpine organizations should prioritize data collection on visitor attendance, water consumption and energy use. This would enable MCDM frameworks to develop more targeted and effective solutions for each hut. True innovation in mountain hut management lies not only in technology but in the ability to integrate data, territory and community for a more resilient and sustainable mountain environment.