Data from: Using virtual reality to estimate aesthetic values of coral reefs

Aesthetic value, or beauty, is important to the relationship between humans and natural environments and is, therefore, a fundamental socioeconomic attribute of conservation alongside other ecosystem services. However, beauty is difficult to quantify and is not estimated well using traditional approaches to monitoring coral reef aesthetics. To improve the estimation of ecosystem aesthetic values, we developed and implemented a novel framework used to quantify features of coral reef aesthetics based on people’s perceptions of beauty. Three observer groups with different experience to reef environments (Marine Scientist, Experienced Diver and Citizen) were virtually immersed in Australian’s Great Barrier Reef using 360-degree images. Perceptions of beauty and observations were used to assess the importance of eight potential attributes of reef aesthetic value. Among these, heterogeneity, defined by structural complexity and colour diversity, was positively associated with coral-reef aesthetic values. There were no group-level differences in the way the observer groups perceived reef aesthetics suggesting that past experiences with coral reefs do not necessarily influence the perception of beauty by the observer. The framework developed here provides a generic tool to help identify indicators of aesthetic value applicable to a wide variety of natural systems. The ability to estimate aesthetic values robustly adds an important dimension to the holistic conservation of the Great Barrier Reef, coral reefs worldwide, and other natural ecosystems.审美价值（aesthetic value），或称美感，对人类与自然环境的关系至关重要，因此与其他生态系统服务（ecosystem services）一道，是保护工作中的核心社会经济属性之一。然而，美感难以量化，且传统的珊瑚礁审美监测方法无法对其进行准确评估。为优化生态系统审美价值的评估工作，我们基于大众对美感的感知，开发并应用了一套全新的评估框架，用于量化珊瑚礁的审美特征。我们借助360度图像，让三组对珊瑚礁环境拥有不同经验的观察者——海洋科学家（Marine Scientist）、资深潜水员（Experienced Diver）与普通市民（Citizen）——沉浸式体验澳大利亚大堡礁。我们通过收集美感感知数据与观察记录，评估了八项潜在珊瑚礁审美价值属性的重要性。其中，以结构复杂度与色彩多样性定义的异质性，与珊瑚礁审美价值呈显著正相关。不同观察者群体对珊瑚礁审美的感知方式不存在组间差异，这表明过往的珊瑚礁接触经验未必会影响观察者的美感感知。本研究开发的这套框架可作为通用工具，助力识别适用于多种自然系统的审美价值评估指标。能够稳健地评估审美价值，可为大堡礁、全球珊瑚礁及其他自然生态系统的全方位保护增添关键维度。