Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) can serve as a framework for decision-making that respects local distinctiveness. As such, LCA is a useful tool for engaging stakeholders in sustainable development.

LCA can be used in many situations, for example in devising indicators to gauge landscape change and to inform planning, development, environmental assessment and the management of protected landscapes.

LCA is also important for the UK's implementation of the European Landscape Convention (ELC) - the first international convention on landscape, dedicated exclusively to the protection, management and planning of all landscapes in Europe. It provides a method to identify and assess landscapes and a framework for developing landscape quality objectives in partnership with stakeholders - all specific measures of the ELC.