Exploring Long-term Landscape Changes in a Rural Catchment in Southern England, from the Mid-nineteenth Century to the Present, and Their Implications for Future Land Management

Landscapes are shaped by long-term environmental and cultural interactions. The English farming economy has developed in line with shifting land tenure, market integration, and environmental challenges, to its present focus on delivering agri-environmental goods and services under public subsidy. Agricultural intensification, land conversion and enclosure have coalesced into the landscapes observable today. Mid-19th century tithe survey maps offer valuable insights into past landscapes but are relatively under-utilised. We employ digitised tithe maps of the lower Rother catchment, West Sussex, and current land cover data to quantify long-term changes from c. 1840 to 2021. This location has a long rural history and known agricultural soil erosion problems, contributing to land and water quality degradation. We find reductions in unimproved grassland by 86.5% and arable land by 45.5%, and expansion of improved grassland by 135.8% and woodland by 56.3%. A substantial decline in meadows ranging from 75.6% to 99.9% was observed. Whilst common land losses have been largely offset (decreasing by 1.7%), the nature of common land use has fundamentally changed. Policy design should include targeted interventions to address contemporary agri-environmental issues considerate of cultural heritage, and we suggest that historical assessments using tithe maps can provide pertinent evidence for policy-making.