Work

Examining the relationship between ecological integrity and forest aesthetics: a case study of western Sichuan, China

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Preserving various ecosystem services is a crucial objective of forest conservation management. Yet, these services do not always exhibit synergy. Consequently, reconciling ecological preservation with local economic advancement has emerged as an essential concern for forest management. This research examines the autumn forests of western Sichuan, China, adopting ecological integrity as the objective of forest conservation. Utilizing a network questionnaire and Hue-Saturation-Value (HSV) color interpretation, we evaluated the aesthetic of western Sichuan forests from both subjective and objective perspectives, while exploring the relationships among forest aesthetics, color aesthetics, ecological integrity, and their influencing factors. The results indicate that: (1) the overall aesthetic of western Sichuan forests is at a medium–high level, primarily influenced by forest characteristic attributes, color saturation, and value index; (2) while forest aesthetics and color aesthetics demonstrate a synergistic relationship, comparative analysis among various forest types reveals that color aesthetics cannot be entirely encapsulated by any singular color metric within Scenic Beauty Estimation (SBE); (3) A trade-off between ecological integrity and forest aesthetics over medium-to long-term scales. Accordingly, the deliberate incorporation of controlled human disturbances and augmenting landscape heterogeneity may effectively reconcile ecological preservation with forest aesthetics. This study offers methodological and theoretical foundation for incorporating forest aesthetics into conservation management and ecotourism planning in Western Sichuan.

Source: Ecological Indicators

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.114478

Authors: Hong-hong Jia, Peng Luo, Hao Yang, Zhi-hao Lin, Hong-lin Li, Yu Huang