Coastal Scenic Evaluation, Nador Province, Morocco

Date

2013-11-03

Author

Williams, A. T.
Ergin, Ayşen
Stepanova, K.
Khattabi, A.

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Twenty-one sites in Nador Province, Morocco, were investigated and analysed for coastal scenic beauty. The technique involved checklist assessment of 26 parameters (natural and anthropogenic) rated on a five point attribute scale from bad-good. A parameter weighting index ranked the 26 parameters and fuzzy logic mathematics (used to overcome the difficulty of having a check mark in the wrong attribute box), were imputed into a computer programme from which a scenic decision value 'D', was obtained. The 'D' value enables sites to be classified as: CLASS 1: Extremely attractive natural site with a very high landscape value having a D value >0.85; CLASS II: Attractive natural site with high landscape value having a D value between 0.65 and 0.85; CLASS III: Mainly natural with little outstanding landscape features and a D value between 0.65 and 0.4; CLASS IV: Mainly unattractive urban, with a low landscape value, and a D value between 0.4 and 0; CLASS V: Very unattractive urban, intensive development and a low landscape value with a D value <0. Differentiation showed that there was one site in Class 1 (Kamkoum El Baz); three in Class II; eight in Class III; nine in Class IV, and none in Class V. The coastal scenic assessment methodology can be used for developing management measures (e.g. zonation policies identifying high quality landscapes, access regulation, diversification of activities etc). It helps foster leisure activities, which rely on natural scenery, and not on man-made activities. Management efforts to improve scenic scores should concentrate upon anthropogenic parameters, especially litter as a litter-strewn beach is repugnant for tourism purposes and is an easy problem to solve.

Subject Keywords

Scenery

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/53700

Collections

Department of Civil Engineering, Conference / Seminar