Landscape change
Landscapes are not static. Look at old
photos of familiar places and you will see how they have changed.
In the future, they will change again. But not all change is
welcome.
Landscapes have some features that change more slowly than
others. For example stone walls might remain the same but the crops
in the fields might change.
Why monitoring change is important
By recording what is changing in our landscape and working out
why change is happening, we can predict how places will look in the
future. We can see if we can make the future a better place
by working with the process of landscape change today.
How we monitor change
Landscapes change because of a mix of natural processes
(the growth of trees and plants, for instance) and human impacts
(for example built development). We can’t hope to be able to
monitor everything, so we look at key characteristics that we can
measure. These show how the landscape is changing and we work with
them to plan the future.
What we do
CCW can work in a variety of ways to influence landscape change,
for example through directing grants, giving advice, contributing
to Protected Area management plans (such as those for National
Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty), and commenting on
draft Local Development Plans and major planning applications.