Aesthetics and environmental law: valuing Tasmania’s ‘ordinary’ nature

This article evaluates how aesthetic appreciation of the environment, such as perception of beautiful scenery, interacts with environmental law. While nature is tangible and real, its aesthetic properties are culturally embedded and continually evolving as societies change. Because art often mediates how people experience environmental aesthetics, such as through film, paintings and music, the arts also have a role in environmental decision-making. The article assesses the opportunities and obstacles to an aesthetics-based environmental law, with primary emphasis on the ‘specialness’ bias in many aesthetic judgements. These themes are explored through a Tasmanian case study. Law reform should facilitate the ‘curating’ of environmental aesthetics in conjunction with greater involvement of the arts community.