Marlborough Sounds Resource Management Plan 5 colo ur = the combined colours of land, vegetation, water, and sky which change with the seasons; and the variations of colour within and between the landscape units. Different kinds of expression can be identified with a range of grades for each of these key expressions. No one kind or gradation is better than the other. They are simply different. Table 1 describes types of landscape character for the overall landscape. Table 2 describes types of landscape character for the coastal segme nts of the landscape. Within the Sounds it is possible to identify examples of dominant or typical characteristics which contribute significantly to the quality of the landscape. Some of the examples are included in Table 3, Examples of Typical and Significant Sounds Landscape Characteristics. Landscape Quality Landscape quality is an evaluative measure of a landscape unit in comparison with other units within a region. From this, a range of values can be derived. Quality also provides a measure of the vulnerability of particular landscapes to different types of change and how important those landscapes are to a region. The key indicators of quality are: 1 Vulnerability indicated by: • Lack of structures = a measure of how unmodified the landscape is by structures; the presence or absence of settlements, roads, visible utility services, built structures on land or on the surface of water; • Naturalness = the degree of modification to natural character; modification to landform and indigenous vegetation; the presence or absence of exotic species and crops; • Extent of sensitive areas = the presence or absence of visually sensitive areas; areas which are important to the visual character of the landscape; areas which might occur as patches of indigenous vegetation or the curve of a beach, the skyline, a landform peak, a ridge line or saddle; and • Memorableness = a measure of how strong an impression it leaves in the mind; a measure of whether the visual experience of the coastline is memorable or forgettable. 2 Importance indicated by: • Rarity = a measure of how unique a landscape is; a comparison with the rest of the area being studied; a measure of the value as an example of its kind; and • Coherence = the visual unity or harmony between the elements of a particular landscape; a measure of how well the landscape “hangs together”; the presence of deviations or unusual features which stand out from the background character - examples might be wilding pines within predominantly indigenous vegetation or a jetty perpendicular to a curved beach or a firebreak cut down a hill face. App One - 2