Abstract
Although the importance of wetland environment has been recognized widely, some wetlands located in or near urbanized regions in Hokkaido have been exposed to development pressures. This study attempted to evaluate the wetland landscapes under such conditions in Iburi Region. Using a photo questionnaire, image impressions and attitudes toward wetlands were surveyed. As a result, two factors of the wetland images, general evaluation and spatial characteristic were identified. Based on the factor scores sampled, 21 photo were grouped into 6 clusters. The clusters showed that man-made elements in the photos had a great negative effect on the general evaluation. Although some facilities for users decreased the feeling of nature, the effect on the general evaluation was not significant. Based on the correspondent analysis, the respondents were classified into two groups such as, protection oriented and development or use oriented. A relatively high proportion of respondents who live in or near Iburi were grouped into the latter group. Few differences of the landscape evaluation by the attitude groups were found.
