Visual ecology: exploring the relationships between ecological quality and aesthetic preference

High ecological quality and an attractive environment are usually two primary goals of landscape design. Understanding the relationships between ecological quality and visual aesthetic preference is needed to reach the two goals simultaneously. However, previous work has not provided definite answers regards these relationships. The current study took place in the riparian zone of Xuzhou, China, to check ecological quality using the qualitat del bosc de ribera (or riparian forest quality) index, and visual aesthetic preference using pictures as surrogates, which were assessed by undergraduate students. Regression analysis revealed a U-shaped distribution of ecological quality in relation to visual aesthetic preference, which indicated that, with higher ecological quality, the visual aesthetic preference could be higher or lower, and a lower ecological quality implied a medium visual aesthetic preference. In addition, enhancing the cover quality (introducing more native plants and reducing man-made elements) of riparian vegetation was an efficient way to align the ecological goal with a visually pleasing landscape.