| Résumé: | Malaysia has experienced significant forest cover loss due to logging and urban
development, particularly in urban areas. Although legislation for Permanent Forest
Reserves (PFRs) exists, it lacks inclusivity, especially considering visual aesthetics
as a crucial component of forest preservation. This omission has created gaps in
public engagement, cultural appreciation, and emotional connections with these
natural spaces, reducing the perceived value of PFRs among the public and
policymakers and increasing the risk of degradation. This study addresses this gap
by establishing a visual aesthetic quality assessment framework specifically tailored
to PFRs in Klang Valley, Malaysia, using a converging approach that integrates
public preferences and expert opinions. The framework involves two complementary
approaches: the perception approach and the expert approach. The perception
approach identifies suitable variables using the Participant-Generated Image (PGI)
method, where participants capture images of visually appealing scenes, which are
then classified by content. The expert approach determines the importance and
weight of each variable through expert surveys and the Analytical Hierarchy Process
(AHP). This study provides valuable insights into assessing and enhancing urban
forests to meet local communities' aesthetic expectations by identifying key variables
and evaluating their significance and weight. The resulting framework uniquely
measures visual aesthetic quality by considering variables with different weightings
rather than assuming equal importance for all variables. As the first comprehensive
framework to assess visual aesthetics with variable weightings, it offers a practical
tool for sustainable management and planning, helping to protect areas with high
aesthetic value and suggesting improvements for those with lower appeal.
Ultimately, the study's findings support a more inclusive conservation strategy that
emphasizes aesthetics, ensuring the framework is comprehensive and adaptable to
the diverse aesthetic needs of urban populations in Malaysia.
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