•Topography landscape with natural forest appearance and water feature is likely to be the optimal restorative environment.•Landscape elements of water, topography and plants are significantly ...positive for human perceived restorativeness.•Culture-related and art-related landscape components with high aesthetic values are important restorative attributes.•The single-item landscape composition can be applied to evaluate the perceived restorativeness.•Restorative effects of the area can be reinforced by suitable selection and configuration of landscape composition.
Urban parks have been found to benefit human health and well-being. Many studies have addressed the relationship between spatial characteristics and health restoration, but little research systematically focused on specific landscape components. In this study, the effects of three landscape types, six landscape elements and various landscape components of a traditional urban park on psychophysiological activities were investigated using physiological (blood pressure, blood glucose and electroencephalography) and psychological indicators (the abbreviated Profile of Mood States and the Landscape Perceived Restorativeness Scale). The results indicated that: (1) Different landscape types led to different physiological responses and mood states; (2) The topography landscape with natural mountain forest appearance had the most restorative effect; (3) Landscape elements of water, topography and plants had significant positive effects on human perceived restorativeness; (4) Bamboo forest, poetry walls and decorative openwork windows, were ranked as the top three landscape components in terms of perceived restorativeness. These findings suggest that single-item landscape composition can be applied to evaluate perceived restorativeness, and the restorative potential of the area can be reinforced by suitable selection and configuration of landscape types, landscape elements and landscape components in future landscape design. An active intervention approach to the targeted improvement of restorative efficiency in existing urban parks can provide a feasible solution for satisfying the health recovery needs of growing populations.
•We assess the impact of landscape types on the genetic structure and dispersal of M. alternatus. to establish effective ecological control strategies.•The whole-genome resequencing revealed the ...intermediate scale is an effective barrier against natural dispersal of M. alternatus.•The host and mixed forests landscape promoted the dispersal of this species, while the non-host forest had a negative correlation with gene flow.•In the landscape of land use, roads had positive effects on gene flow and genetic diversity, while farmland and urban use had negative effects.•The results suggest that human-mediated transport via roads promoted the dispersal of M. alternatus., which was the main factor leading to the long-distance invasion of this species, while the non-host landscape could inhibit its spread.
Pine wilt disease (PWD), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is an extremely threatening invasion forest disease throughout the world, especially in Asia. B. xylophilus is spread in Asia by vector beetles of Monochamus alternatus, which has long no effective control method. Understanding of landscape effects on the dispersal and outbreaks of forest pests is crucial to establishing effective ecological control strategies. Here, we analyzed the samples of M. alternatus collected in a fine-scale in order to estimate the effects of landscape types on the genetic structure and dispersal of M. alternatus. The landscapes included the geographical scales, forest types and land uses. The individuals of M. alternatus were genotyped by using whole-genome resequencing. Population genetic structures were clearly differentiated at the range of 250 kms, suggesting the intermediate scale is an effective barrier against natural dispersal of M. alternatus. We used the least-cost distances, least-cost transect analysis, and distance-based redundancy analysis to estimate the effects of forest types and land uses within the fine scales. The results showed that the gene flow and genetic diversity were positively correlated with host and mixed forests, whereas negatively with non-host forests. Among land-use landscapes, the roads had the positive effect on gene flow and genetic diversity but farmland and urban uses had negative effects. This highlights that human-mediated transport via roads was likely to be the main factor leading to the long-distance invasion of M. alternatus, whereas non-host landscapes could suppress the spread of this species. These findings may be useful to control the PWD dispersed by M. alternatus.
The term aesthetically cultivated landscape refers to landscape designs with strong aesthetic quality. These are created by design and they reflect the respective period, the organisation and ...integration of the landowner’s holdings and are usually adjacent to residential areas. Aesthetically cultivated landscapes have the following elements. They are purposefully arranged landscapes comprising characteristic installations and accentuated landmarks and relationships, with highlighted centres of administration, culture and spirituality and idealised landscape scenery. Spatial organisation is based on symbolism, and the landowner’s creativity, prosperity and philosophical or spiritual values are emphasised. This specific type of cultural landscape has been described by UNESCO as a “designed landscape” and “a clearly defined landscape designed and created intentionally by man”. This paper recapitulates the historical development of these designed landscapes and their characteristic aesthetic landmarks.
Students studying for a long time frequently suffer from attentional fatigue; however, campuses lack specific spaces in which to restore attention. This study aimed to explore the significant ...perceptual factors related to student selection of landscape types that they perceive as most relaxing on a university campus. To understand the design factors of an attention restoration space, this study examined the preference of students regarding restorative environments on university campuses at six universities in northeastern China using a questionnaire survey (n = 360). Place-mapping revealed the spatial characteristics of the preferences of students for relaxing in the available space. The primary perceptual factors were obtained using correlation analysis and keyword frequency. A relationship model of landscape types and perceptual factors was established using categorical regression (CATREG). Results showed that waterfront spaces have the optimal perceived attention restoration effect, followed by vegetation spaces, courtyard spaces and square spaces. Visibility, accessibility, comfort, recognition and sense of belonging are significant perceptual factors that should be first considered. Moreover, the optimal selection of design factors depends on the interaction of landscape types and perceptual factors. The design implications may assist designers to gain a new perspective on student requirements for a healthy environment.
The restorative benefits of the natural environment are crucial for human well-being and sustainable development. Although stress reduction and attention restoration through natural exposure have ...been quantified through physiological and psychological pathways, numerous studies have intentionally constructed idealized natural settings devoid of individuals to minimize interference. This deliberate approach has raised concerns about the accuracy of these restorative results, as real-world settings invariably involve other people. To address this issue, we designed and executed a randomized controlled experiment. By measuring physiological and psychological indicators and utilizing a two-way ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc comparison, we explored the restorative potential of natural settings within seven distinct social distances across five landscape types in virtual reality environments. The results revealed that beyond a social distance of 3.8 m, the presence of people had minimal impact on stress reduction, with attention restoration effects remaining consistently positive. Optimal physiological and psychological restoration is achieved when the social distance exceeded 20 m. Further exploration is warranted to elucidate the influence of landscape types on the restoration of natural environments. The findings provide valuable insights for the planning and design of restorative natural settings, supporting research endeavors aimed at improving human health and well-being and allowing for sustainable management.
The European Landscape Convention aims to promote landscape protection, management and planning. This must be done based on identification and knowledge of those basic landscape types that were ...created by the interaction of human and nature over the course of historical development. This paper presents a methodological approach for creation and evaluation of representative biocultural types of landscape, in order to elaborate an effective strategy for landscape protection, and proposes a management strategy of sustainable use of representative biocultural landscapes of Slovakia. That will ensure the regular maintenance of the landscape in view of current global trends and factors affecting the landscape. Our interdisciplinary approach is based on previous landscape classifications and the interaction of natural and cultural elements. The classification of the biocultural landscape is obtained as a result of multi-criteria analysis in GIS and synthesis of maps of potential vegetation, real ecosystems and current land use, abiotic conditions of representative geoecosystems of Slovakia, and other specific statistical data. We assessed the perception and significance of individual landscape types by way of a questionnaire survey. In Slovakia, seven basic types of landscape were singled out, ranging from natural to semi-natural to anthropogenic, within which other subtypes were specified. We assessed the protection of individual types, as well as threats and degradation of the landscape. Insufficient protection is given to the most valuable types of biocultural landscape and new tools and methods of support and protection have to be implemented.
In Europe, a broad variety of agricultural landscape types have originated as a result of traditional farming activities and landscape diversity maintenance over centuries. The rapid development of ...socio-economic activities during the twentieth century caused significant loss of traditional rural landscapes. Traditional/historical European agricultural landscape types (EALs) represent a type of cultural landscape with many specific unique cultural, historical, and biodiversity patterns. Despite their high value, maintenance in practice is lacking. European farmers and landowners need to learn how to implement innovative multifunctional farming techniques within these landscapes. An online interactive educational tool of the ERASMUS+ FEAL project (FEAL: multifunctional Farming for the sustainability of European Agricultural Landscapes) deals with these topics. Case studies from the FEAL project showed the best examples of sustainable agricultural management practices in different types of EALs. The aim of this article was to evaluate case studies within coordination of information on the environment (CORINE) Land Cover (CLC) 2012 classes representing traditional land use forms, nature and landscape protection areas, and ecologically important areas, as well as High Nature Value (HNV) farmland. Results based on 28 case studies from five European countries interpreted the positive external effects of farms on values of EALs. A prevailing number of farms exhibited a coincidence between CLC 2012 classes with traditional land use forms and HNV farmland and protected areas. Regarding land cover classes with traditional land use forms, key words selected by farmers gave importance to recreation and tourism, furthering of biodiversity, direct sale, social farming, renewable energy, and traditional building. The highest frequencies of the key words were achieved in CLC 2012 classes concerning (to some degree) natural and semi-natural ecosystems.
The rocky desertification control project in karst areas exacerbates the transfer of landscape types, changes the ecosystem structure and function, and has a significant impact on ecological assets. ...How to analyze the relationship between landscape type shifts and the spatial and temporal evolution of ecological assets is one of the key questions that need to be addressed to achieve the goal of overall improvement in ecosystem quality and sustainable regional economic development. This study takes Qixingguan District, Bijie City, Guizhou Province-a typical karst plateau mountainous area-as the research object, and analyzes the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of landscape type shifts and ecological assets triggered by rock desertification management from 1995-2018, based on the equivalence factor method, combined with the contribution rate, spatial autocorrelation, and sensitivity research methods. The results showed that arable land, grassland, and woodland were the main landscape types in the study area. The value of ecological assets showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing, with an overall increase of 87.70 × 10
yuan. The distribution pattern of ecological asset value from southwest to northeast is "high-low-high". There is a significant positive correlation in the spatial distribution of the overall ecological assets, with similar aggregation between neighboring units. The expansion of forest land was the main factor for the rapid increase of assets from 1995 to 2010, with a contribution of 98.12%; the conversion of arable land and grassland to construction land was the main factor for the decrease of assets from 2010 to 2018, with a percentage of 81.06%, where the value of each type of service was mainly composed of five items, such as soil formation and conservation, biodiversity conservation and gas regulation, water conservation, and climate regulation. This study shows that spatial and temporal evolution assessment of ecological assets is an important manifestation of the effectiveness of rocky desertification control, which can provide decision support to resource managers and users for regional ecological environment construction.
This article assesses the location factors involved in the construction of Slovak castles and chateaux, because the location is not coincidental but associated with anthropogenically created or ...altered land units. We primarily concentrated on assessing the natural factors that influenced these locations, and then evaluated the following variables; the type of natural landscape and its altitude and elevation above the nearest erosion base point.
PDF
