Landscape quality assessment provides a contextual basis for integrating cultural ecosystem services within landscape management and policy. However, measuring landscape visual quality remains a challenge; especially in the Balkans with its complex environmental and socio-cultural history. In response, we present a first assessment of landscape visual quality across Shar Planina, North Macedonia and test the transferability of a visual quality assessment method (VQI) originally developed to evaluate Northwest European landscapes. This study includes remote (GIS) and field assessment. The latter produced quality measures which were summarized, scaled and weighted into an index (0–1.0) and served as a ground-truth dataset for subsequent GIS assessment. To assess how spatial scale affects the VQI and what scale is most appropriate to capture perceived landscape quality, the remote assessment was applied at scales ranging from 1 to 5 km2 and results were then correlated to field assessment results. Values for the field VQI range from 0.2 to 0.82 whilst the values from the remote assessment applied at 1 km2 range from 0.1 to 0.74 and increase to 0.77, 0.84 and 0.86 at 2 km2, 3 km2 and 5 km2 respectively. Strongest correlation between the GIS and the field assessment was observed at 2 km2, which captured detail whilst remaining appropriate to the perceived landscape. Our research allows consideration of this cultural ecosystem service within the wider conservation efforts on Shar Planina and provides methodological guidelines for assessments of visual quality of mountainous landscapes elsewhere in the region.

中文翻译：

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评估北马其顿 Shar Planina 的景观视觉质量

景观质量评估为在景观管理和政策中整合文化生态系统服务提供了背景基础。然而，测量景观视觉质量仍然是一个挑战。特别是在巴尔干地区，有着复杂的环境和社会文化历史。作为回应，我们首次评估了北马其顿沙尔平原的景观视觉质量，并测试了最初为评估西北欧景观而开发的视觉质量评估方法 (VQI) 的可转移性。这项研究包括远程 (GIS) 和现场评估。后者产生质量度量，这些度量被汇总、缩放并加权为指数（0-1.0），并作为后续 GIS 评估的真实数据集。为了评估空间尺度如何影响 VQI 以及什么样的尺度最适合捕捉感知的景观质量，在 1 到 5 平方公里的尺度上应用了远程评估，然后将结果与实地评估结果相关联。现场 VQI 的值范围为 0.2 至 0.82，而在 1 平方公里范围内应用的远程评估值范围为 0.1 至 0.74，并在 2 平方公里、3 平方公里和 5 平方公里分别增加到 0.77、0.84 和 0.86。在 2 平方公里处观察到 GIS 与实地评估之间的最强相关性，它捕捉到了细节，同时保持与感知景观的适宜性。