Trade-offs between efficiency, equality and equity in restoration for flood protection

Abstract Conservation decision-makers and practitioners increasingly strive for efficient equitable outcomes people nature. However, environmental management programs commonly benefit some groups of more than others, very little is known about how efforts to promote equality (i.e. even distributions) equity proportional trade-off against efficiency total net outcome per dollar spent). Based on a case study in the Brigalow Belt Bioregion, Australia, we quantified trade-offs between equality, equity, planning flood protection. We considered optimal restoration strategies that allocate fixed budget (a) evenly among beneficiary sectors seeking urban residents, rural communities, food sector), (b) local government areas (LGAs) within spatial equality), (c) preferentially highest socioeconomic disadvantage equity). assessed using Gini coefficient, an index disadvantage. At AUD10M budget, distributing was 80% less ignoring groups, did not improve distribution protection sectors. Evenly LGAs ensured four were otherwise ignored, with modest reduction (12%–25%). Directing result additional reductions efficiency, captured high missed otherwise. show here different ways targeting lead quite efficiency. Our approach can be used guide transparent negotiations beneficiaries other stakeholders involved process.