Given that MARS is the first quantification of its kind this was inevitable, and for the moment it does not much matter. Loss has occurred not simply outright but through cumulative nibbling. Large single monuments and field systems have suffered worst. Property development, natural erosion and agriculture emerge as archaeology's main adversaries. Development is being moderated by the government planning guidance PPG16, and our influence on erosion is limited.
Agriculture is the main challenge.
There are some who caricature conservation as a cryonic ambition to turn Britain into cultural permafrost. In fact, change is landscape's natural condition. This is no esoteric complaint. Mingled with the vanishing sites are the ingredients of local personality, mystery, opportunity and beauty. English Heritage proposes an ambitious programme to counter the haphazard, unnecessary sterilisation of local surroundings which MARS reveals.