Change is affecting all landscapes in the UK, driven by a number of factors — not least the accelerating impacts of climate change and ongoing development pressure.
LUC was tasked with developing a simple and straightforward methodology for the Cornwall, Tamar Valley and Isles of Scilly Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), to monitor and communicate change affecting the different parts of a landscape, acknowledging and celebrating variations in character and local distinctiveness.
The monitoring project sought to use the existing Landscape Character Assessment (LCA), as well as input from local communities and stakeholders, to select indicators to monitor landscape change. This is the first time that a clear and repeatable methodology has been established that integrates the well-established tool of LCA with a process of landscape monitoring on a local level, accounting for variations found across different parts of the landscape.
It was a challenging task — we discovered early on that the spatial boundaries identified in the existing LCA were either too large or too small to allow meaningful (and cost-efficient) monitoring. LUC addressed this challenge by using the existing LCA as a framework, creating new ‘Landscape Monitoring Units’ (LMUs) to be used specifically for monitoring. Our methodology is now being recognised as national best practice in monitoring change in protected landscapes.
LUC subsequently developed an interactive web-based Atlas for the Cornwall AONB, which allows anybody — from partner organisations to local residents — to learn about the different landscapes of the AONB and the changes impacting upon them. The Atlas is an engaging and informative tool that allows the user to click on interactive maps to pull up information and analyses of interest for different parts of the Cornwall AONB. See the Atlas here
The Cornwall AONB Atlas will help the Cornwall AONB Partnership produce their new AONB Management Plan and assist greatly in their State of the AONB reporting. LUC’s GIS team brought all of the information to life, and the Cornwall AONB Partnership is using the information to help write their new Management Plan.
“The Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership is delighted with the new Cornwall AONB Atlas. For the first time we have a good picture of what's happening to the landscapes of the AONB, its communities and its economy. The publication of the Atlas and the associated information on trends and condition which it provides are incredibly timely as the AONB Partnership is reviewing its management plan this year. It gives us a superb evidence base on which to base policy and activity within the new plan and a tool with which we can really measure change. This evidence gives the plan significant weight. Not only that, it’s accessible and easy to use for local people and professionals from a wide range of backgrounds.” (Colette Holden, Cornwall AONB Partnership Manager)
It has been a privilege to work on tools that will be used extensively to inform the management and planning of nationally important landscapes. The monitoring project was inspiring as we established a ground-breaking method for monitoring landscape change in the beautiful landscapes of Cornwall, the Tamar Valley and the Isles of Scilly. Feedback from the South West Protected Landscapes Forum in May 2009 was that the monitoring methodology should be taken forward in other protected landscapes as best practice, which was great to hear.
