Maps created by 1960s schoolchildren provide new insights into habitat losses

A new study of 1960s maps, many of which were created by young people, has provided important fresh evidence of the timing and extent of habitat losses caused by agricultural intensification and urban growth in England and Wales. 

Prior to the analysis by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), there were gaps in understanding about how our landscape gradually changed in the intervening years between the 1930s and 1990.  

The 1960s survey involved 3,000 volunteers – many of them schoolchildren and students – marking maps with different colours and shadings, corresponding to a type of land cover such as arable, urban, grassland or woodland for every land parcel (ie an area with clear boundaries). This was done across the length and breadth of Britain. The Office for National Statistics and Defra worked to save and scan all 7,040 paper maps, and has now made them available for people to view free online. 

Dynamic changes in land cover

UKCEH converted information from a representative sample of these maps covering 15% of England and Wales into digital format and compared the land cover on sites in the 1960s with what was there in the 1930s, 1990 and 2020 (see table of statistics in Notes). 

The analysis of the sample maps showed the dynamic nature of land use change over the last 90 years: 

• The amount of rough grassland, heath and wetland has continually declined, with 42% of these semi-natural habitats of high conservation value disappearing between 1930 and 2020. Most of this decline occurred between 1930 and 1960, largely driven by conversion to productive pastures as grasslands were agriculturally improved to feed livestock 

• At the same time, many areas of pasture on better land were converted to arable land, with an overall 29% net loss in pastures and meadows over the 90 years. The majority of this decline took place between the 1960s and 1990s as increased mechanisation, new agrochemicals and crop breeding raised the profitability of arable farming. 

• The amount of arable land therefore rose steadily over the 20th century, increasing by one third between 1930 and 1990, with a slight reduction between 1990 and 2020.  

• The amount of broadleaved and coniferous woodland gradually increased throughout the 90-year period due to tree planting initiatives – doubling in area overall, from 6% to 12% of total sample area. Conifer planting on rough grassland and heath accounted for a substantial proportion of the loss of these habitats by the 1960s, while later increases were driven by natural succession to broadleaf woodland. 

• Urban areas expanded by a total of almost a fifth between 1960s and 1990 and a similar proportion in the following 30 years, going from 13% of the sample areas 1930 to 20% in 2020.

The analysis was led by Dr Lucy Ridding of UKCEH whose grandmother was one of the schoolchildren who carried out the 1960s survey. 

Dr Ridding said: “Our research contributes further evidence of post-war agricultural intensification and urban growth as key drivers of habitat loss in England and Wales. We provide essential information on the extent of habitat loss and rates of decline over multiple time periods, which were not previously well understood.” 

“Knowing when and where losses of wildlife habitats took place will enable conservationists and land managers to target future efforts to restore them, increasing the chances of success. 

“The information will also help us to predict future changes in land cover and use.” 

Biodiverse habitats lost

The study, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, looked at patterns of change, rather than the fate of individual areas of land. But the overall shifts are well established, with changing land use coming at the expense of semi-natural habitats that support biodiversity.  

Agriculture in Europe rapidly intensified after the Second World War to try to achieve self-sufficiency in food production and then continued to accelerate with the advent of the Common Agricultural Policy. 

At the same time, urban areas expanded to accommodate a growing population. There was also afforestation following reductions in timber during both world wars, with ancient woodland replaced by plantations, usually fast-growing, non-native species. Though latterly, with greater focus on nature conservation and mitigating climate change, there has been a shift to planting broadleaved woodland. 

The study authors point out that although the rate of loss of semi-natural habitats declined after 1990, it did not halt completely, suggesting changing land use is still an important driver of biodiversity loss. 

Since 1990, UKCEH has used hi-tech satellite imagery to identify broad habitats at resolutions up to 10 metres for the whole of the UK, and now produces annual land cover maps that help scientists better analyses changes. In the 1930s, the first comprehensive survey of land use in Great Britain was carried out by volunteers on the ground. Maps were converted into digital format in 2003-4. 

Compare maps online

Only 119 out of 7,040 paper maps from the Second Land Utilisation Survey in the 1960s were initially published though all of them have now been released. They have been scanned and made available online by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as part of a digitisation project funded by Defra’s Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme, which is assessing England's land, freshwater, and coastal ecosystems to produce a baseline of our natural assets. 

Olive Powell, Head of Geography at ONS, said: “We are delighted that these maps are now available for a wide audience, and grateful to all those who made this possible, including the original surveyors and volunteers.  

“The maps support our work to better understand where people lived around the time of the 1961 Census, which will be used alongside our historic census data to get a fuller picture of population changes over the last 100 years. Making the maps more widely available ensures that others can uncover other important information and insights about life and land in the mid-20th Century.” 

The 1960s maps are available to view online via the National Library of Scotland website, as are the 1930s maps. They have been geo-referenced, meaning people can digitally locate specific places and coordinates. You can compare land cover between two different time periods side by side on the website. 

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Media enquiries  

For an interview with a scientist or images or further information, please contact Simon Williams, Media Relations Officer at UKCEH, via simwil@ceh.ac.uk or +44 (0)7920 295384.  

Paper information 

Ridding et al. Assessing land use change and the impacts on semi-natural habitats across England and Wales using four time points between 1930 and 2020. Landscape Ecology. DOI: 10.1007/s10980-025-02189-8. Open access. The study involved UKCEH, the Office for National Statistics, Defra, Wood PLC, Environment Information Services and King's College, London.  

It was funded under the AgZero+ programme, an initiative jointly supported by the Natural Environment Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, which brings together researchers and farmers to evaluate innovative farming methods that support the UK’s transition towards sustainable, climate-neutral, nature-positive farming.  

Notes to Editors 

Below, the area (km2) and proportion (%) of each broad category within the study areas across England and Wales in the 1930s, 1960s, 1990 and 2020. NB in 1930s, broadleaved woodland and coniferous woodland are combined. The sampled study areas made up a total of 15% of England and Wales and were representative of different land uses and regions. 

 
About UKCEH Land Cover Maps 

The UKCEH Land Cover Maps are a trusted source of information on land cover for the whole of the UK and have been used for the management of natural resources, urban planning, carbon accounting and flood risk modelling. They are developed through the UK-SCAPE programme, thanks to National Capability funding from the Natural Environment Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.  

There is more information on the Land Cover Map products on the UKCEH website. To download datasets from the series, available in raster or vector formats, visit the Environmental Information Data Centre website.  

About the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)  

The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) is a leading independent research institute dedicated to understanding and transforming how we interact with the natural world.  

With over 600 researchers, we tackle the urgent environmental challenges of our time, such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Our evidence-based insights empower governments, businesses, and communities to make informed decisions, shaping a future where both nature and people thrive.  

www.ceh.ac.uk / ukceh.bsky.social  / LinkedIn: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology