Landscape Character Assessment in Scotland - further information

The process of Landscape Character Assessment has, for the first time provided a classification and description of Scotland's rich and varied landscape.

Scottish Natural Heritage coordinated a series of 30 regional Landscape Character Assessment studies in the period 1994 to 1999. Together, these identify and map the landscape character of the whole of Scotland (mostly at a scale of 1:50,000).  This was done with the co-operation of a range of partners, including local planning authorities, other agencies and community organisations.

The national programme identifies around 300 distinct landscape character types ? areas of consistent and recognisable landscape character ? which recur as more than 3900 individual character areas.  For a strategic overview of variations in Scotland's landscape character, these 300 different types can be aggregated into 53 types.  See the reports given below for further information.

This process also identified the key forces for change within each landscape character type - that is activities which are likely to have a significant impact on the landscape.

Browse the full list of reports or do a map search for reports.

See A national assessment of Scotland's landscapes    which describes in detail the landscapes of Scotland (published 2002).

Other LCA reports

Landscape character vignettes  - a summary of the landscape characteristics of Scotland as determined by the landscape character assessments.

Overview of Scotland's national programme of landscape character assessment - a critical assessment of the process.