Landscape conservation

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Wiltshire has an extremely rich and valued landscape. From rolling downland and chalk river valleys to low lying vales and ancient forest and parkland, the landscape of Wiltshire has provided pleasure and inspiration to generations of people.

Landscape, of course, represents much more than just the scenic beauty of our open countryside, it encapsulates Wiltshire's attractive towns and villages, abundant wildlife and habitats, numerous important archaeological features and the long historical record of human activity.

In recognition of the value of the Wiltshire landscape, almost half of Wiltshire Council's administrative area is considered of national importance and is designated as Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Much of the remainder of the County is designated as locally important Special Landscape Area (SLA).

Landscape Character Assessment is an objective method for describing landscape, based on the identification of generic landscape types (e.g. Open Downland) and more specific landscape character areas (e.g. Marlborough Downs). The approach identifies the unique character of different areas of the countryside without making judgements about their relative worth. Landscape character areas are classified based on sense of place, local distinctiveness, characteristic wildlife, natural features and nature of change. Landscape Character Assessment has been undertaken for all of Wiltshire's land area at 1:50,000 scale and for most of Wiltshire at 1:25,000 scale covering the individual Districts and AONBs.

Last updated: 18 March 2011