Abstract
Context
Human–nature interactions are reflected in the values people assign to landscapes. These values shape our understanding and actions as landscape co-creators, and need to be taken into account to achieve an integrated management of the landscape that involves civil society.
Objectives
The aim of this research was to increase the current knowledge on the most and least common landscape values perceived by local stakeholders, the patterns in the spatial distribution of values, and their connection to different socio-economic backgrounds and landscape characteristics across Europe.
Methods
The research consisted of a cross-site comparison study on how landscape values are perceived in six areas of Europe using Public Participation GIS surveys. Answers were analysed combining contingency tables, spatial autocorrelation and bivariate correlation methods, kernel densities, land cover ratios, and viewshed analyses. Results were discussed in the light of findings derived from other European participatory mapping studies.
Results
We identified shared patterns in the perception of landscape values across Europe. Recreation, aesthetics, and social fulfilment were the most common values. Landscape values showed common spatial patterns mainly related to accessibility and the presence of water, settlements, and cultural heritage. However, respondents in each study site had their own preferences connected to the intrinsic characteristics of the local landscape and culture.
Conclusions
The results encourage land planners and researchers to approach landscape values in relation to socio-cultural and bio-physical land characteristics comprehensibly, acknowledging the complexity in the relationship between people’s perception and the landscape, to foster more effective and inclusive landscape management strategies.
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Acknowledgements
This research has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Program under Grant Agreement No. 603447 (Project HERCULES). This research contributes to the Program on Ecosystem Change and Society (www.pecs-science.org) and the Global Land Programme (https://glp.earth/). We would like to acknowledge the important contribution to this research of Brian J. Shaw, Kim von Hackwitz, Karl-Heinz Gaudry, Matilde Silvia Schirru, Rubén Hernandez Romero, Dominica Williamson, Zoe Lane, Natalie Kaiser, Thomas Balatsos, Eftichia Kappa, Eirini Pavlou, Elisavet Bourgia, Iliana Christia, Alexandros Tzimos, and Viðar Örn. We are very grateful to the respondents of the six study sites that participated in the surveys and to the reviewers for their constructive feedback that has strengthened the manuscript.
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Garcia-Martin, M., Fagerholm, N., Bieling, C. et al. Participatory mapping of landscape values in a Pan-European perspective. Landscape Ecol 32, 2133–2150 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-017-0531-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-017-0531-x