Abstract
The current paradigms for the sustainable development of forests and agriculture involve territorial organization of these activities as well as the multifunctionality of the related landscapes. Accordingly, the new management strategies need to take into account the suitability of the resulting landscapes to produce the goods and services expected by society. The aim of the study was to assess the preferred landscape patterns by different groups of users. In focus were the relations between the landscape metrics of preferred patterns and the individual characteristics of respondents. A regional quantitative survey of both production and different consumption landscape users was conducted in the Alentejo region, southern Portugal. Respondents composed their preferred patterns on a block diagram representing an area of landscape seen from a single view according to the existing topographic conditions in the study area. In general, the visually complex landscape patterns were preferred more than the homogeneous ones. However, the metrics of preferred patterns varied between the user groups. The montado was the only land cover class that was present in the majority of preferred patterns. For landscape users in southern Portugal, the visually complex landscapes including the montado are essential to satisfy their expectations. This may be an important fact to be taken into account for policy and landscape management in the future.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.