Landscape and climate change

How will Scotland's landscapes be affected by climate change?

As part of Scottish Natural Heritage's Climate Change Action Plan, we undertook to understand more about the effects that climate change may have on Scottish landscapes and the benefits they provide for people.

Landscapes, and the social and economic benefits they provide, are likely to be altered by climate change.  The effects on soils, vegetation, farming, forestry, coasts, hills, lowlands, rivers and buildings will all be seen as changes in the landscape.   

How much change will there be, and where?

What can we do about it?

Find out more in our landscape research pages or go straight to the Climate change, landscape and quality of life report or National Summary.

For a summary of the effects on your area look at the regional summaries of what the effects of climate change may be at a local level. 

Earlier work on the UK-wide consequences of climate change can be seen in Climate change and natural forces - the consequences for landscape character (Topic Paper 9)  .