Scenic landscape assessment: the effects of land management jurisdiction on public perception of scenic beauty

The research presented here evaluated viewer preferences for a road corrido r in southern Utah that is managed in part by the USDA Forest Service, and in part by the National Park Service. Because philosophical differences per agency can lead to visible differences in landscape characteristics, a tra veler can be presented with a mixed and potentially confusing experience en -route. This potential for ambiguity could impact a visitor's experience, w hich in turn might influence a region's tourist potential. A preliminary fi eld study was first conducted to document the motivations and concerns of v isitors to the study area. A systematic photographic inventory was then gen erated along the 12-mile corridor that links Cedar Breaks National Monument with segments of the Dixie National Forest. The acquired photographs were employed in a perceptual assessment effort that studied observers perceptio ns of landscape scenic beauty as the road traversed from one jurisdiction t o the other. The goal was to investigate the effects of jurisdictional diff erences on public perceptions of the scenic quality of the corridor Prefere nce scores were later related to expert-based assessments of the visible ch aracteristics of the same test scenes, using the landscape/scene variables indicated by the preliminary field study; depth of view, proportion of road in view, and proportion of open meadow in view. Results indicated highest preferences for park managed scenes with a central open meadow framed by fo rest. Similar scenes in the forest-administered sections of the corridor we re less preferred, apparently due to the effects of seasonal livestock graz ing on visual features within the meadows. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. A ll rights reserved.