Visualisation tools for public participation in managing landscape change (VISULANDS)

Summary

The main aim of VISULANDS was the development and application of visualisation tools to support public involvement in the assessment of landscape change. In the UK there were three study sites that were used in testing indicators, visualisations, and perceptions of the end users:

Clashindarroch (Northern Scotland)
Isle of Wight (Southern England)
Clocaenog (North Wales).

Research objectives

The overall objective of the entire EU VISULANDS project was to develop visualisation tools to support public involvement in the assessment of landscape change. Six subsidiary objectives were identified for the EU project and those annotated thus * had major Forest Research involvement:

To develop visualisation techniques to assess future landscapes
To develop quantitative indicators of landscape change *
To provide a robust set of preference models applicable to European landscapes
To test the potential to link assessments of visual qualities and production, socio-economic, ecological, cultural and amenity functions *
To test the effectiveness of visualisation tools in communicating the outcomes of policy and planning decisions on landscape evolution *
To exploit the project results and tools through the production of educational materials and outreach schemes for professional training and the public *.

Funders and partners

EU flag
VISULANDS was a 3-year European Commission funded 5th Framework research project led by Prof. David Miller, Macaulay, Aberdeen with project partners in Sweden, Norway, France, Switzerland, Portugal and the UK.
EU VISULANDS project description

Forestry Commission logo
Forest Research’s involvement was also funded through the Forestry Commission’s Ecosystems and Biodiversity programme.

Forest Research involvement

Forest Research was the UK project partner, supported by Forestry Commission Scotland’s (FCS) Landscape Adviser. We:

Participated in the development of methods for multi-dimensional analyses of landscape quality by applying expertise on landscape ecology and engagement with the end users, and providing case study sites
Considered the applicability of project/visualisation methods in British forested landscapes, and the potential to develop these into a new set of tools for forest landscape planning.

Details of Forest Research involvement in VISULANDS

The FCS Landscape Adviser was chair of the VISULANDS International End-user Group. This Group was made up of a representative from each partner country, and had the role of contributing towards the assessment of the tools being developed.

Forestry Commission policy

In the past decade, a number of developments have transformed the methods and scale of management of British forests. These include:

The development of a strong visual design process
Widespread calls to achieve greater land use integration
The requirement to manage forests for special species and habitats and within the principles of landscape ecology
An increasing emphasis on public engagement.

Work within VISULANDS supports the extension of these trends towards to participatory planning across landscapes.