A tale of two landscapes: Transferring landscape quality metrics from Wales to Iceland

• Published in: Land Use Policy
• Main Authors: Swetnam, Ruth D., TWEED, Fiona
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2018
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://eprints.staffs.ac.uk/4240/; https://eprints.staffs.ac.uk/4240/1/Landscape%20paper%20LUP.docx; https://eprints.staffs.ac.uk/4240/2/Supplementary%20S1.docx; https://eprints.staffs.ac.uk/4240/3/Supplementary%20S2.docx; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.02.037

Abstract The assessment of visual landscape quality remains a tantalizing goal for geographers. Methods to evaluate landscape views proliferate, with increasing use made of both quantitative and qualitative techniques. Reproducibility of these methods is often claimed by researchers but is rarely tested. Landscape quality assessment is so often tailored to a location that little thought is given to its potential portability. In response to this challenge, we have taken a visual landscape quality method previously developed for Wales, UK (Swetnam, et al., 2017) and tested its transferability to quite different landscapes in Iceland. We outline the methodological considerations required, demonstrate its successful application with a report on our pilot field investigations and provide a checklist for others wishing to transfer landscape quality metrics from one place to another.