Natural England – National Character Area Profiles

This website contains interactive profiles which describe each of England’s 159 National Character Areas (NCAs). Each NCA represents an area of distinct and recognisable character at the national scale. Their boundaries follow natural lines in the landscape, not county or district boundaries. This makes them a good framework for decision-making and planning for future change. The profiles can be accessed through the search function above, via the map of England below, or via a list organised by region (also below).

The information contained within the NCA profiles aims to help guide land management and other activities to strengthen character and resilience, responding to pressures such as climate change.

They can:

• Help people to make decisions about the places that they live in and care for.
• Support the planning of large-scale conservation projects.
• Inform the delivery of nature recovery and help target land management schemes.
• Encourage joined-up working towards a common vision.
• Inform choices about land management and landscape change, providing valuable evidence to help inform decision-making.
• Signpost users to a wide range of relevant evidence developed by Natural England and other organisations.

The NCA profiles have been developed in partnership with stakeholders. This website builds on the original static PDF documents (hosted on gov.uk) published in 2014. It is designed to enhance accessibility and user experience, featuring interactive mapping and updated data analysis. They will continue to be updated as new information becomes available.