title: Assessment of the aesthetic quality of a selection of beaches in the Firth of Forth, Scotland.
abstract: The aesthetic quality of fourteen beaches in the Firth of Forth, Scotland was surveyed between May and July 2002 using a protocol designed by the UK's National Aquatic Litter Group (NALG). Local authority beach cleaning regimes influence the amount of litter found on beaches. Frequent and thorough beach cleaning is necessary to maintain high aesthetic standards. Bathing and amenity beaches achieved higher aesthetic quality than non-bathing and non-amenity beaches. The aesthetic quality of rural and urban beaches was very similar. The NALG protocol appears more complicated to use than other beach litter surveys. However, the classification system generates results that are easily interpreted by the general public. Furthermore, the NALG protocol could be combined with coastal zone management plans as a useful environmental performance indicator.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, John Muir Building, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Somerville
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mair
mesh_terms: D002947:Cities; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003625:Data Collection; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004954:Esthetics; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D011639:Public Opinion; D011786:Quality Control; D012037:Refuse Disposal; D012424:Rural Population; D012606:Scotland; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014873:Water Pollutants