Landscape Observatory has announced the first five National Parks and ten National Landscapes including National Trails within boundaries to be mapped using artificial intelligence, marking the start of the first year of its national AI mapping workstream.
By combining high-resolution aerial imagery and machine learning, the project will produce detailed, standardised land cover maps for all Protected Landscapes in England, which together account for 25% of the country’s land area.
These maps will give land managers, conservationists, and policymakers a powerful new evidence base to make informed, timely decisions about habitat restoration, species recovery, and climate resilience. The first phase of mapping includes:
National Parks:
National Landscapes:
The data generated will provide a consistent national baseline for land cover, supporting research and management across ecology, cultural heritage and natural capital. It will also help test climate adaptation frameworks, such as the Resist, Accept, Direct (RAD) approach, enabling landscapes to plan proactively for the changes ahead.
Simon Geikie, Director of Landscape Observatory, said: “By combining local knowledge with AI-driven mapping, we can help support smarter, faster, and more consistent decision making across Protected Landscapes. Something that’s essential as we navigate land and conservation management in a changing climate.”
Landscape Observatory is an incubator project funded by the Protected Landscapes Partnership, supported by Defra.
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