The James Hutton Institute
This page is no longer updated. The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute joined forces with SCRI on 1 April 2011 to create The James Hutton Institute.
THE STATE OF SCOTLAND'S FARMED ENVIRONMENT 2005
5. LANDSCAPE
Landscape Character Assessment (LCA)
SNH, in partnership with local authorities and others, undertook a national programme of landscape character assessment (LCA) between 1994 and 1998. That assessment classified Scotland into 372 "landscape character types", categorized by SNH into 18 natural heritage settings, geographically defined mainly on the basis of dominant land cover.
Scotland 's unique countryside and landscapes are made up of a huge diversity of habitats. Table 5.1 shows the share of the main types of habitat in Scotland 's landscapes (and, for comparison, in GB). (National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS), 2003)
Table 5.1: Main types of habitat in Scotland in % of total countryside
|
Scotland |
GB |
|---|---|---|
Bog |
25.4 |
9.6 |
Improved grassland |
13.1 |
23.7 |
Dwarf shrub heath |
12.5 |
6.4 |
Coniferous woodland |
12.4 |
5.9 |
Acid grassland |
9.3 |
5.6 |
Arable and horticultural |
8.0 |
22.7 |
Fen, marsh and swamp |
4.2 |
2.4 |
Broadleaved, mixed + Yew woodland |
3.7 |
6.4 |
Neutral grassland |
2.1 |
2.7 |
Bracken |
2.1 |
1.9 |
Built-up and gardens |
1.9 |
5.8 |
Standing open water and canals |
1.1 |
0.8 |
Boundary and linear features |
1.1 |
2.2 |
Montane |
0.6 |
0.2 |
Inland rock |
0.5 |
0.2 |
Calcareous grassland |
0.3 |
0.3 |
Rivers and streams |
0.3 |
0.3 |
Other |
1.0 |
1.1 |
CHANGE IN SCOTTISH LANDSCAPES >>