A GIS model for mapping spatial patterns and distribution of wild land in Scotland

Steve Carver,Alexis Comber,Rob Mcmorran,Steve Nutter

doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2011.11.016

Steve Carver, Alexis Comber + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2011.11.016

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Abstract

This paper presents a robust and repeatable method for mapping wildness in support of decisions about planning, policy and management in protected landscapes. This is based around the application of high resolution data and GIS models to map four attributes of wildness: perceived naturalness of land cover, absence of modern human artefacts in the landscape, rugged and challenging nature of the terrain, and remoteness from mechanised access. These are combined using multi-criteria evaluation and fuzzy methods to determine spatial patterns and variability in wild land quality. The approach is demonstrated and tested for the two national parks in Scotland: the Cairngorms National Park and the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. This is presented within a wider debate on the ability of such models to accurately depict and spatially define the concept of wildness within both the Scottish setting and the wider global context. Conclusions are drawn as to scalability and transferability, together with potential future applications including local and national level mapping, and support for landscape character assessment, planning policy and development control. Maps of the wild land core, buffer and periphery areas of the two parks are presented.

Highlights

26" Mountains, lochs and rugged coastlines are valued hallmarks of Scotland’s landscape, providing 27" a major focus for outdoor recreation and wildlife conservation. These distinctive qualities of the 28" Scottish landscape are strongly expressed areas dominated by natural or near-natural vegetation, 29" lack of human intrusion from built structures and the rugged and remote nature of the terrain. 30" They are not wilderness in the true sense, but they do posses certain attributes of wildness and so 31" are widely referred to as ‘wild land’ (Aitken 1977; Aitken et al, 1992; Scottish Natural 42" Heritage (SNH), 2002)
39" The importance and value of wild land is increasingly reflected in planning policy in Scotland. 40" National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG 14, 1999), states that local authority development 41" plans should identify and protect wild land
NPPG 14 was superseded by the Scottish Planning Policy document, wherein the need to 44" safeguard areas of wild land character from development is highlighted: “Areas of wild land 45" character in some of Scotland’s remoter upland, mountain and coastal areas are very sensitive 46" to any form of development or intrusive human activity and planning authorities should

Summary

Introduction

26" Mountains, lochs and rugged coastlines are valued hallmarks of Scotland’s landscape, providing 27" a major focus for outdoor recreation and wildlife conservation These distinctive qualities of the 28" Scottish landscape are strongly expressed areas dominated by natural or near-natural vegetation, 29" lack of human intrusion from built structures and the rugged and remote nature of the terrain. 69" paper is to: 1) review previous work on wilderness mapping, 2) describe work carried out on 70" behalf of Scotland’s national park authorities and SNH to map and model wildness in both the 71" Cairngorms National Park and the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, and 3) 72" explore the utility of the resulting maps for further developing wild land policy and support of 73" landscape character assessments. 137" around 50% of Scotland’s population live with only an hour’s drive of the park, making it very 138" accessible for recreation and tourism

Materials and methods

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