Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
(a)
(b)
Figure 18.3
Perception of restoration works (a) and floodplain lakes, (b) The violin plots of scores (attributed to four evaluative
variables) show the lower quartile (Q1), the median (Q2) and the upper quartile (Q3).
sediment particle also influenced landscape perception.
For a given proportion of mineral cover, images with
large-sized boulders were perceived as more attractive,
more usable, and requiring less active management.
However, these perceptions differed amongst groups of
participants, reflecting different interests and objectives.
Public awareness of environmental stakes has increased
very significantly in the most developed countries over
the last decades. Nevertheless, values, feelings and beliefs
may trigger the decision-making of LW or gravel removal
throughout the world. This negative perception of LW
or gravel may explain why conservation or restoration
policies dealing with these features are not shared by local
inhabitants or decision-makers. Does this mean that the
management of riverine landscapes should acknowledge
the commonly-held national perception of riverscape?
There is a need to develop a greater appreciation of natural
rivers that are scientifically and ecologically important.
Environmental education should therefore be considered
for river restoration purposes.
18.4.3 Linking judgments toenvironmental
factors
Once affective responses are measured to evaluate atti-
tudes towards various types of riverscape components,
it is then possible to use these responses as independent
variables to be predicted from landscape characteristics.
Two approaches are detailed here.
The first approach was carried out within the Roubion
catchment. Figure 18.5 shows the most and the least
attractive riverscapes according to the population sam-
ple. Similarly to the Magra set, results underline some
contrasts between the perception of experts, who eval-
uate braided rivers positively (a rare judgment on the
French territory) and the perception of the general pub-
lic. The identification of the least appreciated photograph
was relatively consensual: scenes E and F received 69%
of responses. Concerning the first scene, participants
denounced the lack of water, the appearance of the
channel, that seemed designed with a bulldozer, and
Search WWH ::
Custom Search