No abstract

No abstract

Motorways are large infrastructures that alter the environmental resources in a territory, while constituting an important element through which the individual comes into contact with the landscape. Motorways are integrated in the landscape through their layout design and construction, the aesthetic details of minor structures (design and building materials) and the treatment of embankments and landscape planting. In this paper, we test the following hypotheses: motorway elements are related to the perception of landscape quality—from the point of view of the road users—and the aesthetic characteristics of minor infrastructures and planting affect the quality of the landscape perceived from the roads. These research questions were tested by comparing the visual quality of the landscapes captured in 128 photographs taken from sections of motorways in Spain. We compared the results obtained from (a) a photo-based method, and (b) the public’s landscape preferences determined using a survey of 737 people. The results show a correlation between the landscape quality values obtained using the model and the landscape preferences expressed by the public. We also found that the presence of the motorway elements and their aesthetic characteristics are significant in the users’ perception. These results can be applied in the decision-making process for potential investments to integrate new and existing motorways in the landscape.

The central Iberian Peninsula has one of the highest densities of roe deer populations in Spain. A new motorway is planned to pass through the middle of the distribution of roe deer, thus making it necessary to conduct a connectivity analysis. A map of resistance to roe deer dispersal movements was obtained based on the literature and expert judgment. Three factors were selected: land use (defined by the ability to hide movements, food source, and degree of naturalness), landforms, and influence due to proximity to elements that increase (such as roads and urban areas) or decrease (water resources and proximity to optimal habitat patches) resistance at the local level. Different combinations of factors derived using the analytical hierarchy and fuzzy logic processes were analysed and compared with the real distribution of the species. More realistic resistance (cost) values were obtained for gamma values close to 0.9. This highlights the greater predominance of the fuzzy sum over the fuzzy product in modelling the cost surface. Better results were obtained in scenarios where the predominant factors were either land use and landforms or land use and proximity to humanmodified areas. This indicates that roe deer will readily range far from their optimal patches if the land use provides partial cover. These movements appear to be conditioned by steep terrain. Our case study offers a good example of building a cost resistance matrix to help locate areas where the expansion of the species may be curbed or encouraged.

No abstract