Abstract

This paper considers rural land use by analysing stakeholder values and perceptions concerning various landscape components. The purpose is to show that landscape content and land cover interactions with societal connections should be a base for land use development. The practical goal is to deliberate research tools to quantify public opinions and attitudes, which could form bases for developing of decision support tools. The main research objectives are: (1) to assess existing opinions concerning land use changes and provide a clearer insight into public attitudes to the role of woodlands for an integrated development of the countryside; (2) to place ecological and socio-economic values on inanimate natural components of landscapes; and (3) to assess values and preferences held by land use policy and management experts regarding multiple landscape components and features to assist in decision-making. Through the different levels of importance (values) accorded by the respondents to the integration of nature components in rural landscapes public priorities were identified. The paper develops an understanding of why certain aspects of land use changes are unfavourably viewed by some people and favourably received by others. It suggests some innovative perspectives on the areas of consensus and conflict between people, providing initial information for the selection and evaluation of land use management decisions. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Public evaluation; Land use policy; Multi-functional landscape; Woodlands; Sustainable development; Scotland; Sweden; Ukraine

Published in

Land Use Policy
2009, Volume: 26, number: 1, pages: 77-86
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCI LTD

SLU Authors

• Ode Sang, Åsa

  • Department of Landscape Planning Alnarp, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use
Landscape Architecture


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2008.03.001

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/61670