This is a list of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in Herefordshire , England. In England the body responsible for designating SSSIs is Natural England, which chooses a site because of its fauna, flora, geological or physiographical features. [1] As of 2012 [update] , there are 83 sites designated in this Area of Search. [2] There are 21 sites with a geological interest, and 62 listed for biological interest. Four sites are designated for both reasons.
Natural England took over the role of designating and managing SSSIs from English Nature in October 2006 when it was formed from the amalgamation of English Nature, parts of the Countryside Agency and the Rural Development Service.
For other counties, see List of SSSIs by Area of Search.
The River Wye is the fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some 250 kilometres from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn estuary. For much of its length the river forms part of the border between England and Wales. The Wye Valley is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Wye is important for nature conservation and recreation, but is affected by pollution.
Herefordshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Gloucestershire to the south-east, Worcestershire to the east, Shropshire to the north and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire and Powys to the west. The city of Hereford is the largest settlement and the county town.
Combe Moor, also known as Coombes Moor, is a linear hamlet in the civil parish of Byton in Herefordshire, England, to the south-east of the Welsh town of Presteigne, near the border with Wales, and 17 miles (27 km) north-west from the county town of Hereford.
The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales.
Lower Wye Gorge is a 65-hectare (160-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1954 and renotified 1987. The site includes two Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust nature reserves being Ban-y-gor Wood and Lancaut. The Natural England citation states a revision for Lancaut inclusion.
Upper Wye Gorge is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), noted for its biological and geological characteristics, around Symonds Yat in the Wye Valley on the Wales–England border. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).