Scotland's Landscape Monitoring Programme

This national programme will monitor Scotland’s changing landscapes and how people respond to landscape change.

Scotland’s landscapes are constantly changing. The direct and indirect impacts of our response to the climate-emergency will increase the scope and speed of that change.  Scotland’s Landscape Monitoring Programme will help us assess how they’re changing.  It will also let us spot important trends in how people respond to landscapes.

How it works

This is a national programme. Scotland's landscapes are diverse, and we continue to work with a range of partners on the programme.

The aim is to monitor landscape change in a way that is practical and relevant.  To achieve that, we have reviewed and brought together existing and new data and results from pilot projects.

The indicators

Landscape indicators are at the heart of the programme.  They are grouped into four themes:

  • Landscape qualities
  • Public perception
  • Land cover
  • Built development

The first indicators were published in spring 2017. The second set of indicators was published in spring 2022. Keep an eye out for more on the way.

Landscape qualities

Public perceptions

Land cover

Built development

Find out more

Scotland’s Landscape Monitoring Programme: an introduction

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