Mapping Aesthetics in Scotland based on 10 metrics

This project is part of RESAS Strategic Research Programme (2016-2021) Workpackage 1.4 on Sustainable and Integrated Management of Natural Assets. The project focuses on development of prototypes of Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) maps for Scotland Natural Assets Register (NAR). This work aims at highlighting a methodological approach, rather than providing an authoritative result. The Aesthetics values of the landscapes are calculated at the Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) disaggregated spatial units. Ten (10) individual metrics were calculated: relief diversity, density of freshwater edges (without coasts), density of coastlines, proportion of unfragmented open space greater than 100km2, hemeroby index, core area index of 11 semi-natural areas, Shannon diversity index, patch density of native woodland and heather areas, density of forest-dominated ecotones. Those metrics were averaged into one main Aesthetics map with equal weights. Feedback from stakeholders still need to be integrated