NCGS Land Cover
What is on the ground at the site now, as the fieldworker sees it. Always paired with an intactness value. Distinct from the mapped vegetation type.
Bare soil
Exposed soil with little or no vegetation.
Built-up
Buildings, paving and other sealed surfaces dominate.
Cropland
Ground under cultivation, including fallow fields.
Degraded or disturbed
Ground with reduced ecological function from erosion, dumping, compaction, mining or similar disturbance.
Existing woodland
Ground already carrying trees, indigenous or planted.
Indigenous grassland
Natural grass-dominated vegetation of the Grassland Biome. When intact, planting trees on it is a safeguard case.
Managed grass or lawn
Mown or planted grass such as a school field or lawn. Not indigenous grassland even inside a grassland biome.
Riparian
The banks and floodplain of a watercourse. When intact, a safeguard case.
Wetland
Seasonally or permanently saturated ground with wetland vegetation. When intact, a safeguard case.