National Character Area 48

Trent and Belvoir Vales - Landscape Change

Monitoring Landscape Change

Drivers for change
The Trent and Belvoir Vales, a predominantly arable and tranquil landscape with low ridges, broad river valleys and flood plains is under pressure from hydroelectric power generation and existing development. The NCA serves as a major wildlife corridor and supports various wetland habitats, and frequent droughts may increase stress on the area’s important aquatic species and alter the composition of numerous important species. Additionally, the NCA is subject to pressures from flood risk and loss of constructed flood defenses, leading to changes in the flow and function of the area’s rivers.

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