British nature conservation statuses

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In Britain, a variety of status categorisation schemes exist, for sites, species and habitats. These include, for species and habitats, Red Data Book threat categories, national rarity and scarcity assessments and Biodiversity Action Plan statuses, and for sites, statutory statuses such as the SSSI concept, and non-statutory statuses such as county wildlife sites.

The most widely established assessment system for rarity and scarcity is based around presence of species in the hectads (i.e. 10 x 10 km grid squares) of the Ordnance Survey National Grid. Nationally Rare is conventionally defined as species which are found in 15 or fewer hectads. Nationally Scarce (also termed Nationally Notable) relates to species which are found in between 16 and 100 hectads. This category is subdivided into Nationally Scarce (Nationally Notable) A—species found in 16 to 30 hectads, and Nationally Scarce (Nationally Notable) B—species found in between 31 and 100 hectads. A status of Local is also sometimes used, referring to species found in between 101 and 300 hectads. [1]


Sites of Special Scientific Interest are sites which are of importance for their biological or geological interest, and are protected from damage under legislation such as the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

A Special Protection Area is an area of importance for birds, protected under European legislation. [2]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halvergate Marshes</span>

The Halvergate Marshes are an area of grazing marsh in the east of the English county of Norfolk. They form part of the area of The Broads and lie between the River Bure and the River Yare, bordering Breydon Water on the east. The marshes cover an area of around 2,642 hectares An area of 1,432.7-hectare (3,540-acre) is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Some areas are also in the Breydon Water Local Nature Reserve, the Broadland and Breydon Water Ramsar sites, The Broads Special Area of Conservation, and The Broads and Breydon Water Special Protection Areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natura 2000</span> Network of protected areas

Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively. The network includes both terrestrial and Marine Protected Areas.

This is an index of conservation topics. It is an alphabetical index of articles relating to conservation biology and conservation of the natural environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom implemented to comply with European Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds. In short, the act gives protection to native species, controls the release of non-native species, enhances the protection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and builds upon the rights of way rules in the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The Act is split into 4 parts covering 74 sections; it also includes 17 schedules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salisbury Plain</span> Chalk plateau in England

Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in southern England covering 300 square miles (780 km2). It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, but stretches into Hampshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotswold Water Park</span> Lake system and park in England

The Cotswold Water Park is the United Kingdom's largest marl lake system, straddling the Wiltshire–Gloucestershire border, north-west of Cricklade and south of Cirencester. There are 180 lakes, spread over 42 square miles (110 km2).

Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI), Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and regionally important geological site (RIGS) are designations used by local authorities in the United Kingdom for sites of substantive local nature conservation and geological value. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has recommended the generic term 'local site', which is divided into 'local wildlife site' and 'local geological site'.

A Site of Biological Importance is one of the non-statutory designations used locally by the Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Staffordshire County Councils in England to protect locally valued sites of biological diversity which are described generally as Local Wildlife Sites by the UK Government. The term SBI should not be confused with Site of Special Scientific Interest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Possil Marsh</span>

Possil Marsh is a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest, of both flora and fauna, within the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The reserve was once part of an extensive system of lochs and marshes which extended throughout much of lowland West Central Scotland. However, centuries of drainage and reclamation have resulted in the elimination of much of this system. Due to its geographic position, the marsh is particularly vulnerable from industrial and residential development. The reserve contains a monument for the High Possil meteorite, which fell there in 1804.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moorhouse and Cross Fell</span>

Moorhouse and Cross Fell is a Site of Special Scientific Interest covering an extensive area of moorland in the Wear Valley district of west County Durham and the Eden district of Cumbria, England. It is contiguous with Upper Teesdale SSSI to the east and Appleby Fells SSSI to the south. The area covered extends roughly from an arc through the villages of Gamblesby, Leadgate and Garrigill southward as far as Milburn in the west and Cow Green Reservoir in the east. It includes the whole of Cross Fell, the summit of which, at 893 metres asl, is the highest point in the Pennines and in England outside the Lake District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baldoyle Bay</span> Sea inlet and nature reserve north of Dublin, Ireland

Baldoyle Bay is a sea inlet on the east coast of Fingal in Ireland, in the traditional County Dublin. It is situated between Portmarnock, at its head, and Baldoyle. It contains two small estuaries, those of the Sluice River and the Mayne River, and is sometimes called Baldoyle Estuary. The inlet is an important natural feature with protected status. It was once the site of a Viking longphort and later the fishing village of Baldoyle developed near its outlet to the sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Norfolk Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest</span> Area of European importance for wildlife in Norfolk, England

The North Norfolk Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is an area of European importance for wildlife in Norfolk, England. It comprises 7,700 ha (19,027 acres) of the county's north coast from just west of Holme-next-the-Sea to Kelling, and is additionally protected through Natura 2000, Special Protection Area (SPA) listings; it is also part of the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The North Norfolk Coast is also designated as a wetland of international importance on the Ramsar list and most of it is a Biosphere Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cley Marshes</span> Nature reserve on the North Sea coast of England

Cley Marshes is a 176-hectare (430-acre) nature reserve on the North Sea coast of England just outside the village of Cley next the Sea, Norfolk. A reserve since 1926, it is the oldest of the reserves belonging to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT), which is itself the oldest county Wildlife Trust in the United Kingdom. Cley Marshes protects an area of reed beds, freshwater marsh, pools and wet meadows and is part of the North Norfolk Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA), and Ramsar Site due to the large numbers of birds it attracts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puckham Woods</span> Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England

Puckham Woods is a 32.38-hectare (80.0-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire to the east of Cheltenham near Whittington, notified in 1954. The site is listed in the 'Cotswold District' Local Plan 2001-2011 as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protected areas of Scotland</span> Designated area for protection in Scotland

Many parts of Scotland are protected in accordance with a number of national and international designations because of their environmental, historical or cultural value. Protected areas can be divided according to the type of resource which each seeks to protect. NatureScot has various roles in the delivery of many environmental designations in Scotland, i.e. those aimed at protecting flora and fauna, scenic qualities and geological features. Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designations that protect sites of historic and cultural importance. Some international designations, such as World Heritage Sites, can cover both categories of site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stodmarsh SSSI</span>

Stodmarsh SSSI is a 623.2-hectare (1,540-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Stodmarsh, north-east of Canterbury in Kent. Parts of it are a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, a National Nature Reserve, a Ramsar internationally important wetland site, a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.

Ballynafagh Lake is a Special Area of Conservation and wildfowl sanctuary in County Kildare, close to the town of Prosperous in County Kildare, Ireland. This site is also known as the Blackwood Reservoir, the Blackwood Lake or the Prosperous Reservoir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rye Water Valley / Carton</span> Ecological site in County Kildare, Ireland

The Rye Water Valley/Carton Special Area of Conservation or SAC is a Natura 2000 site based along the Rye Water / River Rye in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is protected as an SAC since November 2018 due to the presence of a rare hydrogeological habitat at a site close to the River Rye, and the presence of protected species.

The Four Roads Turlough Special Area of Conservation is a Natura 2000 site based at the village of Four Roads, Ireland, close to Roscommon town, in County Roscommon, Ireland. The Four Roads Turlough is one of a number of seasonal lakes, or turloughs, found in the karst areas of Ireland, west of the River Shannon.

The Bellanagare Bog Special Area of Conservation is a Natura 2000 site based close to the village of Bellanagare and the town of Castlerea in County Roscommon, Ireland. The qualifying interests by which it is protected as an SAC are the presence of three habitat types: the presence of active raised bog, the presence of degraded raised bogs still capable of natural regeneration, and the presence of depressions on peat substrates of Rhynchosporion vegetation.

References

  1. "Conservation Designations for UK Taxa | JNCC Resource Hub".
  2. "The Birds Directive - European Commission". 15 August 2024.