Aesthetic preferences versus ecological objectives in river restorations

Abstract

Restoring rivers has become a common practice in the management of natural resources. While the ecological rehabilitation of river corridors is a clear objective for project planners, it cannot necessarily be assumed that the public will perceive the effects to be aesthetically positive. To assess people's perceptions of the visual attractiveness of restoration scenarios, we conducted a representative Switzerland-wide survey using photographic simulations and related the reported preferences to experts’ assessments of the ecological integrity of these scenarios based on eco-morphological criteria. We further considered how natural the public perceived river corridors to be and how much these corridors satisfy public needs. The results of the survey show that aesthetic preferences relate more positively to eco-morphological quality than expected, and that the public's aesthetic preferences are primarily influenced by perceived naturalness. Even slightly improved eco-morphological quality was rated higher aesthetically, which suggests that the aesthetic outcomes of even small efforts to restore rivers are viewed positively by the public.