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

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