**Author details**

Lee-Hsueh Lee

Furthermore, the sequences of landscapes are important [30]. The coherence of environmental information in the foreground and the setting is legibility that will make people feel secure. Following the complexity and mystery landscape at middle-ground to background encourages viewers to look further into the next setting to gain more environmental information. That landscape is favored by people. Furthermore, image congruity between the residential environment and the coastal wetland, promotes a sense of place attachment and landscape esthetic preference, potentially promoting conservation actions. As a result, the landscape arrangement of man-made structures accords with the local fabric, especially in coastal com-

Coastal wetlands are under constant pressures resulting in habitat loss and degradation. To prevent further losses, environmentally friendly man-made structures which mimic the foreshore environment have been applied to minimize negative environmental impacts and maximize environmental value. Wetland conservation, specifically through esthetic awareness would more benefit to maintain, protect, and restore wetland habitats. However, many existing wetlands are of low environmental quality, convoluting the ecological baseline and landscape esthetics. Shifting baseline is a phenomenon where successive generations accept unknowingly the degraded quality of coastal wetlands as pristine, thus conservation action

The role of familiarity is important in terms of landscape preference, as it has a positive correlation with landscape preference. Consciousness of the impact man-made structures have on landscape perception of coastal wetlands may diminish over time. Will people have a continued interest on the impacts of man-made structures on coastal wetland landscape and healthy ecological functioning as familiarity of the modified or artificial coastal wetlands increases?

Environmental legislation and policy have set the protection of coastal wetlands as a priority; however, increasing economic and land use pressures continue to reclaim land from the sea, made possible by man-made structures, still impacts the coastal ecotone. The optimal scheme is for man-made structures to not only to protect the coastline but also to create high-quality landscape, through mitigation measures such as beach nourishment and artificial headland. These options can minimize disturbance to the natural coastline, while having a positive effect on the sediment downstream. Landscape esthetics can be preserved, thus limiting the negative impacts of man-made structures on coastal wetlands. Artificial reefs and submerged dikes could form underwater habitats, maintaining landscape esthetics. Offshore breakwaters can fall below the mean tidal level, ensuring that visual impacts are minimized while also

If there is no immediate pressure for land expansion, man-made structures should not be built or, if possible, kept away from coastal wetlands, located it on the land side. And to retain a buffer zone between ecotone and man-made structure, reasonable landscape room is required to satisfy esthetic, and this must be considered prior to determining the layout of man-made

munities and fishing villages.

146 Wetlands Management - Assessing Risk and Sustainable Solutions

becomes less of a priority for younger generations.

achieving preferable ecological benefits [1, 22].

structures.

**4. Conclusion**

Address all correspondence to: lslee@thu.edu.tw

Department of Landscape Architecture, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan
