Countryside Survey is a unique and world-leading study of the natural resources of the UK countryside. It involves sending teams of surveyors into the countryside to measure and record many different features in a selection of 1km squares, which are chosen to represent all the types of land in the UK (over 600 squares in total). The first Countryside Survey was carried out in 1978; subsequent Surveys have been undertaken in 1984, 1990, 1998 (reported in 2000) and 2007 (reporting from 2008).
The Survey assesses habitats and landscape features, vegetation, water courses, soils and land cover using standardised scientific methods and analyses. It also involves the production of a Land Cover Map, using satellite imagery to record vegetation types across the UK. The findings of the Survey enable us to track the effects of change in our countryside, which helps to inform policymaking and planning for the future.
Countryside Survey is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and a partnership of government departments and agencies, including the Forestry Commission. For more information visit the Survey’s website at www.countrysidesurvey.org.uk