Abstract

The anthropogenic effect on the landscape is a well known phenomenon. This effect not only can be identified from archaeological remains, but also from old and modern maps showing changes in the landscape character in terms of historical attributes and remains. In order to study and manage the historical dimension of these changes, characterisation-based approaches have been developed. This article describes the main characteristics and principles of these approaches and their possible evolution in the future. The article also shows some applications that have been made in England with the purpose of illustrating the potential of characterisation-based approaches to manage historic landscapes in other countries.