This article provides a list of sites in the United Kingdom which are recognised for their importance to biodiversity conservation. The list is divided geographically by region and county.
-
[edit] Inclusion criteria
Sites are included in this list if they are given any of the following designations:
Sites of importance in a global context
Sites of importance in a European context
Sites of importance in a national context
[edit] England
[edit] Southwest
[edit] Cornwall
- See also List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Devon
[edit] Dorset
| Site Name(s) |
Type of Site |
Nature Conservation Interest |
Designation(s) |
| Poole Harbour |
Natural harbour (the second largest in the world, after Sydney harbour) |
Wintering shorebirds, wintering wildfowl |
IBA |
| Brownsea Island |
Island, including a lagoon |
Red Squirrel; breeding, wintering and migrant birds |
IBA, SSSI |
[edit] Somerset
| Site Name(s) |
Type of Site |
Nature Conservation Interest |
Designation(s) |
| Ashton Court |
Deer park |
Saproxylic invertebrates |
SSSI |
| Avon Gorge (Leigh Woods) |
Limestone gorge and semi-natural broad-leaved woodland |
Plant communities, insect communities |
NNR, SAC, SSSI |
| Banwell Caves |
Caves |
Greater Horseshoe Bat roost site |
SSSI |
| Biddle Street, Yatton |
|
|
SSSI |
| Bishop's Hill Wood |
|
|
SSSI |
| Blagdon Lake |
Artificial reservoir |
|
SSSI |
| Bodkin Hazel Wood |
|
|
SSSI |
| Brockley Hall Stables |
Former stable block |
Greater Horseshoe Bat breeding site |
SSSI |
| Burledge Sidelands And Meadows |
Unimproved grassland |
|
SSSI |
| Burrington Combe |
Limestone gorge |
|
SSSI |
| Chew Valley Lake |
Artificial reservoir |
Wildfowl |
SPA, SSSI |
| Cleeve Wood, Hanham |
Semi-natural broad-leaved woodland |
Nationally scarce plant |
SSSI |
| Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines |
Stone mines |
Greater Horseshoe Bat roosts |
SSSI |
| Compton Martin Ochre Mine |
Stone Mine |
Greater Horseshoe Bat roost |
SSSI |
| Congrove Field And The Tumps |
Unimproved grassland |
|
SSSI |
| Ellenborough Park |
Dune grassland, managed as parkland |
Dune grassland plant communities including two Red Data Book species, Branched Horsetail and Smooth Rupturewort |
SSSI |
| Folly Farm, Bishop Sutton |
Meadow and Woodland |
Grassland plant communities, invertebrate communities |
SSSI |
| Gordano valley |
Peatland |
Plant communities, invertebrate communities |
NNR, SSSI |
| Harptree Combe |
Wooded combe |
Plant communities, invertebrate communities, the rare Appleyard's Feather-moss |
SSSI |
| Horseshoe Bend, Shirehampton |
Wooded cliff and saltmarsh strip |
Plant communities, including the nationally rare True Service-tree |
SSSI |
| Iford Manor |
Country house |
Greater Horseshoe Bat breeding site |
SSSI |
| St Catherine's Valley |
Grassland |
Grassland plant communities; locally scarce plants |
SSSI |
| Uphill Cliff |
|
|
SSSI |
| Yanal Bog |
Lowland mire |
Plant communities |
SSSI |
[edit] Wiltshire
[edit] Gloucestershire
| Site Name(s) |
Type of Site |
Nature Conservation Interest |
Designation(s) |
| Forest of Dean |
Extensive area of semi-natural broadleaved woodland |
Plant communities, woodland birds, insect communities |
Need to check |
| Dean Hall Coach House and Stables |
Country house |
Greater Horseshoe Bat breeding roost |
SSSI |
[edit] Southeast
[edit] Bedfordshire
[edit] Berkshire
[edit] Buckinghamshire
| Site Name(s) |
Type of Site |
Nature Conservation Interest |
Designation(s) |
| Windsor Hill SSSI |
Beech woodland, scrub and chalk grassland |
Plant communities |
NCR, SSSI |
[edit] Greater London
[edit] Hampshire
| Site Name(s) |
Type of Site |
Nature Conservation Interest |
Designation(s) |
| Upper Greensand Hangars |
Semi-natural broadleaved woodland |
Plant communities and geology |
SSSI |
[edit] Hertfordshire
| Site Name(s) |
Type of Site |
Nature Conservation Interest |
Designation(s) |
| Burham Down |
Calcareous woodland and grassland |
|
SSSI |
| Burham Marsh |
|
|
SSSI |
| East Blean Woods |
|
Heath Fritillary |
SSSI, SAC, NNR |
| Hothfield Common |
Heath |
|
LNR, SSSI |
| Lydden Temple Ewell |
Calcareous grassland |
Early Spider Orchid, Burnt Orchid, Silver-spotted Skipper, Adonis Blue |
SSSI, SAC, NNR |
| Marden Meadow |
Neutral grassland |
Green-winged Orchid |
Part SSSI |
| Oare Marshes |
|
|
SSSI, Ramsar Site, LNR, SPA, ESA |
| Park Gate Down |
Calcareous grassland |
Lady Orchid, Late Spider Orchid, Monkey Orchid and Musk Orchid, |
SSSI, SAC |
| Queendown Warren |
Calcareous grassland |
Early Spider Orchid and Lady Orchid |
SSSI, SAC, LNR |
| Romney Marsh Visitor Centre |
|
|
SSSI, LNR |
| Sandwich and Pegwell Bay |
Coastal grassland and dunes |
Lizard Orchid |
SSSI, RAMSAR Site, SPA, cSAC, NNR |
| Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve |
|
|
SSSI |
| South Swale |
|
|
SSSI, Ramsar Site, LNR, SPA, ESA |
| West Blean |
|
Heath Fritillary |
SSSI |
| Westfield Wood |
Calcareous woodland |
|
SAC, SSSI |
| Yockletts Bank |
Calcareous woodland |
Lady Orchid |
SSSI |
[edit] Oxfordshire
[edit] Surrey
| Site Name(s) |
Type of Site |
Nature Conservation Interest |
Designation(s) |
| Bookham Commons |
Woodland, grassland and scrub |
Locally notable plants, rare moths, breeding bird communities |
SSSI |
[edit] Sussex
[edit] Midlands
[edit] Derbyshire
[edit] Herefordshire
[edit] Leicestershire
[edit] Northamptonshire
[edit] Shropshire
[edit] Staffordshire
[edit] Nottinghamshire
[edit] Warwickshire
[edit] Worcestershire
[edit] East Anglia
[edit] Northwest
[edit] Cheshire
| Site Name(s) |
Type of Site |
Nature Conservation Interest |
Designation(s) |
| Sandbach Flashes |
Wetland (partially saline, even though inland) |
Aquatic plant & invertebrate communities; woodland lichen flora; wintering wildfowl and waders |
SSSI |
[edit] Northeast
[edit] Lincolnshire
| Site Name(s) |
Type of Site |
Nature Conservation Interest |
Designation(s) |
| Potter Hanworth Wood |
Small-leaved Lime woodland |
Plant & animal communities |
SSSI |
[edit] Yorkshire
| Site Name(s) |
Type of Site |
Nature Conservation Interest |
Designation(s) |
| Grass Wood, Wharfedale |
Woodland with areas of limestone grassland |
Plant community |
SSSI |
[edit] County Durham
| Site Name(s) |
Type of Site |
Nature Conservation Interest |
Designation(s) |
| Bishop Middleham Quarry |
Disused quarry |
Magnesian limestone grassland plant communities |
SSSI |
[edit] Anglesey
[edit] Scotland
[edit] Northeast Scotland
| Site Name(s) |
Type of Site |
Nature Conservation Interest |
Designation(s) |
| Fowlsheugh, Kincardineshire |
Cliff |
Seabird colony |
SPA, SSSI |
[edit] Shetland
| Site Name(s) |
Type of Site |
Nature Conservation Interest |
Designation(s) |
| Hermaness |
Cliff |
Seabird colony |
NNR |
- Unst
[edit] Orkney
[edit] Outer Hebrides
- Lewis and Harris
- North Uist, South Uist and Benbecula
[edit] Other islands
| Site Name(s) |
Type of Site |
Nature Conservation Interest |
Designation(s) |
| St Kilda |
Island group |
Seabird colony (largest in Britain), endemic subspecies of Wren and Wood Mouse |
IBA, NNR, WHS |
| North Rona |
Island |
Seabird colony |
IBA, NNR |
| Sula Sgeir |
Island |
Seabird colony |
IBA, NNR |
| Flannan Isles |
Island group |
Seabird colony |
IBA |
| Shiant Isles |
Island |
Seabird colony, passage & wintering geese |
IBA |
| Monach Islands |
Island group |
Breeding seabirds, passage & wintering geese |
IBA |
[edit] See also