Skip to main content

Help us improve the National Data Library - complete this short survey

Close survey banner

Countryside Survey 1978 mapped estimates of Broad Habitat areas in Great Britain

Publisher
Environmental Information Data Centre
Updated
30 July 2026
Topic
Not set
Licence
Not set

Summary

This dataset consists of stock data for Broad Habitats across Great Britain in 1978. The data are national estimates generated by analysing the sample data from 256 1km squares surveyed for the Countryside Survey and scaling up to a national level. The data are presented as percent habitat per 1km square. The Countryside Survey is a unique study or 'audit' of the natural resources of the UK's countryside. The sample sites are chosen from a stratified random sample, based on a 15 by 15 km grid of GB. Surveys have been carried out in 1978, 1984, 1990, 1998 and 2007 with repeated visits to the majority of squares. The countryside is sampled and surveyed using rigorous scientific methods, allowing us to compare new results with those from previous surveys. In this way we can detect the gradual and subtle changes that occur in the UK's countryside over time. In addition to habitat areas, species plot, soil plot, linear habitat, freshwater habitat and satellite map data are also produced by Countryside Survey. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/df180b2e-36ea-410e-8487-5a09942afa9e

Data links

Link Format Preview Updated
Suporting documents ZIP 30/7/2026
Download the data 30/7/2026

Is this data/dataset useful? Give us feedback

Additional information

Source Metadata
XML, HTML
Date added
25 July 2026
Harvest GUID
df180b2e-36ea-410e-8487-5a09942afa9e
Extent (Latitude)
60.861° to 49.864°
Extent (Longitude)
-8.648° to 1.768°
Dataset reference date (publication)
2012-04-18
Frequency of update
notPlanned
Access constraints
© Database Right/Copyright UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. All rights reserved.
Responsible party
Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (author); (author, pointOfContact, publisher, owner, custodian)
ISO 19139 resource type
dataset
Metadata language
eng