The method of land cover accounting described in this paper has been applied in the Czech Republic. Land cover data have been obtained from the CORINE Land Cover national database produced in the early 1990s. Similarly, satellite images from the late 1970s were used to get another database for change detection. Coefficients estimating the contribution of every land cover category to the particular economic sector or activity were established. Then, the changes in land cover can indicate consequences for economic development in sectors and vice versa. The landscape changes were compared with economic parameters produced by the statistical office. Future development of this approach could provide a tool for economic scenarios modelling regarding the reflection of economic activity in the environment.