National Character Area 118

Bristol, Avon Valleys and Ridges - Landscape Change

Monitoring Landscape Change

Drivers for change
The Bristol, Avon Valleys and Ridges is a varied landscape, encompassing wooded slopes and broad valleys, areas of the Mendip Hills National Landscape and the dense City of Bristol, all which experience pressures from development and growth. Despite threats of expansion into more rural areas of the landscape, there are also ongoing regenerative developments in ex industrial areas which may also impact the landscape character. Other pressures include increased rainfall and surface water run-off which may increase flood events, and increased drought and tree diseases which may result in the loss of ancient woodlands.

Monitoring landscape change
The most recent monitoring of landscape change within NCAs forms part of the Environmental Improvement Plan Environmental Indicator Framework. This includes indicator G1: Changes in landscape and waterscape character, informed by indicator component G1a: Changes in the landscape characteristics of NCAs in England.

Indicator component G1a measures the extent to which landscape change is achieving the aspirational landscape outcomes described in the NCA Statements of Environmental Opportunity (SEOs). For this purpose, SEOs across all NCAs are distilled into 34 Super Landscape Objectives (SLOs).

NCAs with broadly similar character and pressures for change have been grouped into 18 sub-Agricultural Landscape Types (sub-ALTs) that represent rural, urban and coastal landscapes. Equal numbers of relevant SLOs were identified for monitoring within each sub-ALT and their associated NCAs. These SLOs were assessed based on changes between 2015 – 2023 (or the closest approximations to those dates with the data available). The results of each SLO were combined to form an integrated view of overall landscape change within each NCA during this time period.

For further details on this landscape monitoring, refer to the G1a Landscape Change Atlas and report, which are also available via the Landscape Change Evidence Hub.

Results of G1a: Changes in the landscape characteristics within this NCA
Listed below are:

  • the overall trend for this NCA
  • the results of the underlying analysis for each of the individual Super Landscape Objectives considered relevant to the NCA; this includes the ‘provisional status’ (i.e. current understanding of state/condition) and the ‘change trend’ associated with each SLO.

Reporting of the 2015-2019 and 2019-2023 time periods can be seen in the short term change results of G1a: Changes in the landscape characteristics within this NCA below.

The following SLOs are considered relevant to this NCA. The current provisional status of each objective and the assessment of change (expressed as a trend) is listed below. The overall integrated trend assessment is also listed.

The below section is in development.


Additional information on landscape change

Short term change results of G1a: Changes in the landscape characteristics within this NCA

Listed below are:

    • the overall trend for this NCA for short term change periods 2015-2019 and 2019-2023
    • the results of the underlying analysis for each of the individual Super Landscape Objectives considered relevant to the NCA; this includes the “provisional status” (i.e. current understanding of state/condition) and the “change trend” associated with each SLO for short term change periods 2015-2019 and 2019-2023.

The following SLOs are considered relevant to this NCA. The current provisional status of each objective and the assessment of change (expressed as a trend) is listed below. The overall integrated trend assessment is also listed.

2015 - 2019 change


2019 - 2023 change