“The Most Deafening Silence You Can Hear”: The International Comparison of Landscape Value Mapping on Linguistic Expressions of Islands

Abstract

This paper presents a research framework aimed at enhancing our understanding of how people value natural places, focusing on islands. In particular, the paper presents a conceptual basis for a protocol to systematically analyze the information richness of the open answer valuation questions qualitative data in the Greenmapper dataset in people’s native language, with an application on islands with specific case study examples. This protocol can be used for spatial planning purposes since it provides valuable insights into how people value landscapes. The paper presents a theoretical framework underpinned by the concepts of landscape perception, Public Participation Geographical Information Systems (PPGIS). It also considers the role of language in order to frame the scientific context of mapping landscape values research. The paper also explores the empirical application of the framework conducting an international comparative case study of a small set of landscape appreciation statements in three countries, focusing on islands.