15. Ecological Aesthetics Perspective for Coastal Wetland Conservation

Ever increasing amounts of coastal wetlands are being destroyed; therefore, public participation in wetland conservation is important. Aesthetic preference provides a critical connection between humans and ecology that could greatly promote public awareness regarding conservation actions. The prospect-refuge theory and the preference matrix of the bioevolutionary hypothesis illustrate that aesthetic experience could drive landscape change, and pull with it ecological quality. Based on these concepts, a healthy coastal wetland with beautiful scenery might have high aesthetic value and generate positive emotional reactions that are preferred by people, thus encouraging them to venture further into such environments to explore. The comprehensive attributes of physical landscape and ecological function affect the aesthetics of coastal wetlands. In particular, 15 factors spread among four attributes influenced peoples’ perception of the aesthetic and ecological quality of coastal wetlands. Attribute 1, the quality of the waterbody, is a predominant influence on the health of coastal wetlands, which appearance of waterbody affects aesthetic value. Attribute 2, the natural water edge of coastal wetlands could maintain the health of the wetland well and ensure the quality of the ecotone, which is perceived naturalness and high aesthetic value. Attribute 3 is the quality of terrestrial plants, which affects the diversity of wetlands and benefit to protect the terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Visual penetration of terrestrial plants is the main influential attribute of aesthetic preference. Attribute 4, the overall landscape of wetlands, shows peoples’ attitudes toward wetlands, related to the quality and size of the wetland and the challenge of aesthetics.