LCA and Land Management
Landscape
Character Assessment (LCA) provides a useful framework for the
setting out of priorities for land and habitat management, being as
it is, a spatially-referenced, systematic process for the
description of the rural landscape.
LCA is primarily concerned with describing the inherent
character of landscape – that is how the physiographic
(geology, topography, soils) and cultural (land use, tree cover and
settlement pattern) elements have combined to produce the
distinctive patterns that allow us to distinguish one type of
landscape from another.
The inherent character of landscape is determined with reference
to its historical development in addition to field survey, but the
condition of the landscape will affect how the
inherent character is expressed on the ground today. A landscape in
poor condition may have one of more of its key characteristics
lacking or under-represented, or uncharacteristic features may have
been added.
Through the consideration of both inherent character and current
condition, it is possible to start to determine general
opportunities for activities which will strengthen landscape
character, by ensuring that, wherever possible, the characteristics
appropriate to each Landscape Type that should be present,
are present and are well-represented.
This page was last reviewed 2 May 2012 at 17:34.
The page is next due for review 29 October 2013.