Visual Storytelling of Landscape Change on Rathlin Island, UK

Islands represent distinctive geographical landscapes where cultural heritage, history, and ecological systems converge, offering critical insights into human–environment interactions. This study investigates how visual storytelling through digital tools such as the Historical Environment Map Viewer...

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Main Authors: Ying Zheng, Rebecca Jane McConnell, Zehan Zhou, Tom Jefferies, Greg Keeffe, Sean Cullen, Emma Campbell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Land
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/6/1304
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author Ying Zheng
Rebecca Jane McConnell
Zehan Zhou
Tom Jefferies
Greg Keeffe
Sean Cullen
Emma Campbell
author_facet Ying Zheng
Rebecca Jane McConnell
Zehan Zhou
Tom Jefferies
Greg Keeffe
Sean Cullen
Emma Campbell
author_sort Ying Zheng
collection DOAJ
description Islands represent distinctive geographical landscapes where cultural heritage, history, and ecological systems converge, offering critical insights into human–environment interactions. This study investigates how visual storytelling through digital tools such as the Historical Environment Map Viewer, Environment Digimap, Google Maps and Google Street View, and ArcGIS Field Maps can be employed to capture, interpret, and communicate islands’ landscape changes. By integrating historical environmental mapping, landscape change mapping, street map views, and field observations, this study creates a layered visual narrative that reveals shifts in land use, settlement patterns, and ecological features over time. Rathlin Island represents a distinctive island landscape, and this study uses visual storytelling as a tool to foster a broader public understanding of environmental conservation and engagement with the island’s ecologial challenges. The study demonstrates that multi-perspective, interdisciplinary methods provide valuable insights into the complex dynamics of landscape change, while also offering a comprehensive vision of sustainable future landscape on small islands.
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spelling doaj-art-c017bd057ed24554be54de40f0f8b39f2025-08-20T03:16:22ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2025-06-01146130410.3390/land14061304Visual Storytelling of Landscape Change on Rathlin Island, UKYing Zheng0Rebecca Jane McConnell1Zehan Zhou2Tom Jefferies3Greg Keeffe4Sean Cullen5Emma Campbell6School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UKSchool of Natural and Built Environment, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UKSchool of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, ChinaSchool of Natural and Built Environment, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UKSchool of Natural and Built Environment, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UKSchool of Natural and Built Environment, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UKSchool of Natural and Built Environment, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UKIslands represent distinctive geographical landscapes where cultural heritage, history, and ecological systems converge, offering critical insights into human–environment interactions. This study investigates how visual storytelling through digital tools such as the Historical Environment Map Viewer, Environment Digimap, Google Maps and Google Street View, and ArcGIS Field Maps can be employed to capture, interpret, and communicate islands’ landscape changes. By integrating historical environmental mapping, landscape change mapping, street map views, and field observations, this study creates a layered visual narrative that reveals shifts in land use, settlement patterns, and ecological features over time. Rathlin Island represents a distinctive island landscape, and this study uses visual storytelling as a tool to foster a broader public understanding of environmental conservation and engagement with the island’s ecologial challenges. The study demonstrates that multi-perspective, interdisciplinary methods provide valuable insights into the complex dynamics of landscape change, while also offering a comprehensive vision of sustainable future landscape on small islands.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/6/1304storytellingislandsmulti-perspectivesustainable future landscapeRathlin Island
spellingShingle Ying Zheng
Rebecca Jane McConnell
Zehan Zhou
Tom Jefferies
Greg Keeffe
Sean Cullen
Emma Campbell
Visual Storytelling of Landscape Change on Rathlin Island, UK
Land
storytelling
islands
multi-perspective
sustainable future landscape
Rathlin Island
title Visual Storytelling of Landscape Change on Rathlin Island, UK
title_full Visual Storytelling of Landscape Change on Rathlin Island, UK
title_fullStr Visual Storytelling of Landscape Change on Rathlin Island, UK
title_full_unstemmed Visual Storytelling of Landscape Change on Rathlin Island, UK
title_short Visual Storytelling of Landscape Change on Rathlin Island, UK
title_sort visual storytelling of landscape change on rathlin island uk
topic storytelling
islands
multi-perspective
sustainable future landscape
Rathlin Island
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/6/1304
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AT tomjefferies visualstorytellingoflandscapechangeonrathlinislanduk
AT gregkeeffe visualstorytellingoflandscapechangeonrathlinislanduk
AT seancullen visualstorytellingoflandscapechangeonrathlinislanduk
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