Long-term sustainable management of UK uplands as socio-ecological systems is critical for maintaining their value as areas of natural beauty and for the continued provision of important ecosystem services. Over centuries, human-environment interactions have evolved, resulting in a multitude of often competing land uses. Recognising changing socio-economic patterns is important for understanding the pressures on current management of the uplands. Especially over the last few decades, a number of social, economic and institutional forces have significantly influenced the pressures on the uplands.